A Journey Destined, A Journey Forgotten
by sfsf
Summary: Arthur, Merlin and the knights end up in the future, where they discover many things are different. When an old enemy strikes, the only way for the future to survive is for the past to save it... Spoilers for series 4, Canon up to 4x09, AU from then on
1. Chapter 1

**A Journey Destined, a Journey Forgotten**

**Spoilers for the whole of series 4, Canon up to 4x09, kind of going AU from then on… canon pairings**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, BBC and Shine Limited does**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: The portal<strong>

The trees were thicker in these parts of the woods, casting long shadows among the bushes, giving a darker, more nightly feeling to the land, though it was merely mid afternoon. The company of men was striding through the forest, clearly in a hurry, not minding the obvious path they were leaving behind them.

A king, four knights, and a servant. They had to leave their horses back at the edge of the forest, for the grounds were too rough for them. The beast was fast and agile (could climb rocks and trees easily), so they had to be that too.

The king, Arthur, being the best hunter and tracker, led the way. After a while, they reached a small clearing. The tracks seemed to vanish a few paces before the middle. Arthur walked carefully to the center of what he now realized was a perfect circle.

'Odd', he thought. 'It must have been made by woodsmen'.

"Spread and search for any kind of sings, tracks… Anything you can find." he said, loudly enough so that even Merlin, his mess of a servant, who was currently trying to untangle himself from a rather spiky bush that had caught his breaches, could hear.

The knights were already working through the clearing when Merlin finally managed to break free, and made his way, clumsy as always, to Arthur.

The king was standing near a fallen tree, staring at something Merlin couldn't see.

"Did you find something Sire?" he asked."Arthur?"

The king didn't move, seeming not to have heard.

"Arthur!" he said, a little louder this time. No reply.

"Arthur, you big dollophead, what on earth are you looking at?" Merlin shouted.

Arthur turned his head slowly. He felt as if he were in a dream or perhaps about to lose consciousness. He opened his mouth to reply to his friend with an insult of his own but suddenly found himself unable to do so. His gaze travelled to Merlin's side, where the rest of his party was gathering.

"Sire" Leon spoke. "There is no sign of the beast. It is most strange. It is as if it has vanished into thin air."

"Well that's good enough for me…" said Gwaine, grinning. "I say we make camp here. Could really use some well roasted hare and ale right now. What do you say Merlin? Are you up for some mean cooking?"

All the knights laughed merrily at his comment. Merlin was a decent cook after all.

Merlin noticed that Arthur didn't respond. Knowing his best friend would never let such an opportunity to praise Merlin's "inner girl" pass, he gestured to the others. Frowning, he turned to the others. Percival walked towards the king and then abruptly stopped in his tracks, looking at the same spot as Arthur.

Merlin was concerned now, so he tried to loosen his magic a little, searching for danger.

Nothing felt wrong, so he neared the two men.

"Arthur, what is it? Is everything alright?"

He approached them and turned to see what had gotten their full attention. He soon spotted a strange, black hole in the ground, near the fallen tree-trunk.

He couldn't sense any form of danger so he dared to come closer, and then kneeled beside it. His hand reached forward and then-

A burning white flash, a deafening sound like thousands of screams, followed by darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Castle **

Merlin's head hurt.

'Damned Gwaine and his guys' night out…' he swore inwardly. He wasn't made for drinking.

Opening his eyes, the warlock blinked at the high sun.

' Huh, I guess I must have overslept. Wonderful, really… Can't wait to hear Arthur's "you're late, _Mer_lin" speech. Again. For the _fifth_ time. This _week…_" he then muffled a yawn as he slowly opened his eyes.

'What the ...?' he though, his brain finally caching up with his surroundings.

He was sitting on the forest floor, surrounded by an annoyed Arthur, Elyan, Gwaine -who was more amused than irritated-, Percival and Leon.

Arthur was glaring at him. "What . Did you . _Do_."

Merlin swallowed hard. 'Oh boy...'

"Nothing! Sire, I did nothing! Honestly… Ah… I just… and then… thing, with… eh?"

"You make no sense… really, _Me_rlin! Just _have _to poke everything you see, like a small child. Never think of the consequences," Arthur hissed.

"Must have been some kind of a spell. A trap perhaps. We slept for some time. It's mid day…" the servant replied sheepishly.

The others just nodded in agreement, still a little dazed.

"Is everybody alright? Good… Well, better return to the citadel. The beast isn't likely to come again soon and we might need Gaius to check us for any kind of enchantments…" the king decided, starting to gather his fallen gear, and all the others soon followed.

It took them some time, because they apparently had lost their horses, but finally they saw the castle's gleaming white towers in the distance. Camelot was a sight to behold. As they approached, the beauty of the city was overwhelming. It was as if it was a living thing, and they could feel the beat of its heart even from afar.

Closing in at the gates, Merlin noticed something was off. The guards at the gates had something different about them. He didn't recognize them either. When the party reached the gates, the guards gaped at them and then one of them took off, running towards the castle.

Arthur must have realized something was wrong too, for he didn't go through the gates, just stood there, shifting slightly to a defensive position, hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

They didn't have to wait long, for within minutes the guard was back, escorted by a man in a deep brown cloak. Merlin couldn't see the man's face, but his form was of average height, lean and had a strange air of confidence around him.

The man seemed to be looking at Arthur.

"S…Sire?" he whispered.

"Who are you? I demand an explanation," was Arthur's cold reply.

"I told you, it was them." The guard addressed the man, confidently.

Then the man let his hood down.

* * *

><p>Isolde was crossing the courtyard, heading for the stables, when a rather panicked guard came running towards her.<p>

"Milady! Quick! Come… to the main entrance!"

"What is the matter? An attack? Is it Morgana's men?"

"It is the King! And… Sir Leon, Sir Percival… Sir Gwaine, Sir Elyan. And Lord Merlin… They are at the gates".

Poor guy must be overworked. She just saw the king not ten minutes ago, in the throne room going through petitions. He wasn't in his best of moods as well…

"You are mistaken my friend. I just left his majest…"

"NO! Milady you don't understand!" the guard interrupted, "It _is _them. But they look different…"the young guard shouted, sounding very much afraid. "They look…younger. Please come and see."

Isolde scanned the courtyard. A page boy was nearby. "You there!"

"Go alert the King that we might have a situation here… Tell him I will bring some guests at the private council room, he should head there as soon as possible. And alert any Knight of the Round Table you can find to meet us as well."

She looked back at the guard. "Right. Let's go now."

They moved fast, almost running, as he continued reporting to her.

"They look younger; the King doesn't even have a …well, a beard. But the most peculiar thing is … Lord Merlin! He is wearing what I can only describe as … servant's clothing."

A strange thought dawned on Isolde. "Let me guess, a brown leather jacket, a red tunic and a worn blue neckerchief?".

The guard looked at her wide eyed. "Yes! How did you… "

She didn't let him finish. "And you're sure none of the wards are off?"

"Positive… they got through the perimeter. "

"So. It's not an enchantment then…" she pointed out.

Could it really be them? How did they end up here…? And if indeed it were them, then would they recognize her? Had they even met yet? Her head was overwhelmed with a dozen different scenarios. As they were closing in on the gate, she lifted the hood of her cloak, and instinctively reached for her sword.

The group was standing outside of the city walls, in a defensive formation, ready for battle. She let her eyes wander. True enough, there, in front of her was a young king Arthur Pendragon, with his knights and his -"not so stupid after all, am I Arthur?"- manservant.

"Sire?" she muttered, before he demanded an explanation.

'Well, here goes nothing…' She let her hood slip. The men were startled; none expected a woman in man's clothing. 'So, it happened before we met… Why has nobody ever told me I wonder?'

Thinking fast as always, Isolde addressed Arthur once more.

"Sire, do not be alarmed. This is Camelot, you city, and I am part of your personal guard. You have to trust me, Arthur. Not time for more information… I will tell you everything once we are in the castle. Please follow me" .

The young King gaped at her, speechless for a few moments and then in a blink of the eye, unsheathed his sword and aimed at her chest.

"What kind of sorcery is this? What have you people done to Camelot? Who are you?"

Isolde fought to control her warrior reflexes. She was calm enough when she responded.

"Sire, please… You have to understand. You… _this _is not the Camelot you know. I believe that you have somehow traveled… It is possible sorcery was involved somehow, I do not know but… Sire, you are in the future."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The First Council**

Merlin had sensed something was amiss, but this was bigger than he could ever have imagined. They had traveled to the future! It was that damned hole's fault! It looked innocent enough, like a rabbit hole, but once he put his hand near it, his magic must have triggered something, sending them here. In the future.

The _future_.

Wait, is it possible that Albion is now united? That…, that _magic_ is allowed?

Is Merlin… is he free here?

He dared a look towards the strange looking woman, and she locked her eyes with his for a moment. That seemed to convey everything. She knew who he was, what he was hiding, he could see it in the look see gave him. She probably thought it was his fault they were there. Well, technically it kind of was …

Not willing to let Arthur think about the lady's revelation too much, he walked to her, and then offered his hand.

"I'm Merlin"

She took it, then smiled at him. "I know who you are. I am Isolde."

'You'll meet me soon enough' she thought.

"Well, fair Isolde, might you want to take us to where all the explaining can take place?" asked Gwaine, and immediately the other knights loosened a little bit.

"Yes, let us go now. We'll take the shorter route to the council." Then she turned around gesturing them to follow. Reluctantly, Arthur sheathed his sword and walked until he was beside her, the others coming up close.

Walking through the streets of the lower town, Merlin was glad to notice that all the differences from their time were for the best. The stalls in the market looked richer, the crops bigger and the people seemed generally well … happier.

Soon enough, they were inside the castle through one of the servants' entrances. Then they headed to the Small Council Room, located east of the Throne Room. Using many alternative routes, they made it there with almost no one else seeing them. When they entered the room, which was exactly as Merlin remembered, they all took seats at the table.

Arthur, who hadn't said a word since they entered the city, sat at the head of the table, and decided it was time for some talk.

"Lady Isolde. I believe that you spoke the truth. I think all of us noticed that Camelot is indeed different, more evolved. I would like to know, if you please, under whose reign we currently are. Do you know how many years we are in our future? You claim to recognize us, but we do not know you. Are we even still alive in this future?"

As she was about to answer his question, the chamber doors opened abruptly and in came the King of Camelot.

* * *

><p>King Arthur was dressed in fine clothes, the rich red of his tunic making a sharp contrast to his golden hair. He had a small beard, and wore a simple gold crown, emitting an air of authority and power mixed up with a surprising gentleness.<p>

Merlin realized he was facing the Once and Future King.

"Well Isolde, you weren't exaggerating … Indeed, we seem to have a problem."

The woman lowered her head in respect, standing aside as the High King came closer. Merlin didn't blame her; this Arthur demanded respect by his mere presence. The others must have reached the same conclusion, for they lowered their heads as well. Only Arthur, the young Arthur, kept standing there, with his mouth hanging open in an extremely amusing manner, thinking god knows what about his future self.

"Don't look so surprised Arthur, you always knew you were a charmer …" said the High King, making Merlin muffle a laugh. The man turned then, looking straight at him … and then smiled. Merlin felt chills. He wanted to believe that this Arthur knew him for real and accepted him as a friend and equal, but right now, it was too much for his stunned mind to process.

The High King decided to end the awkward silence and quickly took charge of the situation.

"First things first, we need to get our timeframe sorted out. What was happening in your time before you were brought here? I have to understand _when_ you're coming from…"

His younger self took a deep breath and answered. "Well, we were hunting a beast, last sighted near the village of Wesring, a day's ride north of the city."

"I'm afraid you have to tell me something more… memorable. I can hardly remember all of our little excursions to the countryside, can I?"

"Well" Arthur looked around, feeling uncomfortable under the scrutinizing eye of the King, "I just banished Gw…Guinevere. Not two days ago." The tone of his voice was rather fragile.

"I see…" said the King, keeping his expression neutral. He then gestured to Isolde who had been standing there all this time in silence, watching with interested eyes the exchange in front of her. She understood, walked to the doors of the chamber and opened them to reveal two figures.

The one was a knight, tall and dark haired, with a thick beard and an amused look in his eyes. It took Merlin a moment to realize it was in fact Gwaine. But he didn't have time to react to this because the second figure stepped into the light.

There stood, beautiful as the spring, the Queen of Camelot and one of his best friends, Gwen.

* * *

><p>Arthur was sure he was dreaming. He couldn't believe something this impossible was really happening.<p>

Then again, this _was_ his life. He should have learned not to be so surprised by the turn of events. He was just one of those people who faced the unimaginable daily and lived to tell the tale.

But when the doors opened to let Guinevere in, dressed in a beautiful dark green gown, a thin golden circlet resting on her brow, he had enough. Too much.

"Will someone tell me what the HELL is going on here?"

Gwen chuckled -she actually _chuckled- _and turned to face her husband.

"So the rumors are true? Unbelievable … You have never told me of this … I've learned to expect this from Merlin but not you too, Arthur." She said with a glint of amusement in her eye.

The young king glared at her, a mixture of shock, anger and disbelief for the way she spoke to his future self…

Said future self sighed in mock desperation.

"I think it's time I settled this matter. First, Guinevere, I haven't told you about this," he gestured to the table where the time-travelers were sitting, "because I have no recollection of it. This is completely new to me as well."

At this, all the people in the room, except old Gwaine, reacted. The king just held his hand up until the room was silent once more and then continued. "Thus, it is safe to assume that whatever magic brought_ you all _here, will take you back with no memories of the events that have occurred, and probably not much time will have passed either. "

"That is quite fortunate, for you will most likely need to learn and accept a lot of things in this time to be able to find your way back. By losing memory upon return, the chain of events, crucial to the future of Albion, will be left undisturbed."

Merlin nodded absentmindedly, before he realized that he was probably the only person -from the past- that understood what this meant.

"So, it's time we set a few things straight" said the older Arthur, sounding incredibly pleased with himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all for the lovely reviews and story alerts. You really made my day :) **

**Also note that from now on, future Arthur will be referred to as the King, King Arthur or the High King, whereas young Arthur will be just Arthur. (That does not include the characters talking to one another for obvious reasons). Merlin is young Merlin and Lord Merlin the older Merlin.**

**Disclaimer: I've already said it, **_**Merlin**_** doesn't belong to me but to BBC and Shine Limited **

**Chapter 4: The Unexpected **

"You are now almost nine years in the future." King Arthur continued. The party looked at each other and accepted that information easily. "Camelot is prosperous and Albion is well into the path of peace. Many great events have taken place, but for you to understand our time there are a lot of things you have to learn, and surprisingly most of them are about _your_ time."

The King took a deep breath, obviously preparing to make a vital statement.

"Magic is now legal and the Old Ways respected throughout the land."

At this, Arthur went pale and so did everyone else, including a very close to passing out Merlin.

"It has been like this for many years. Magic has helped build this great kingdom from the ashes after Morgana's attacks, has defended it more times than I could say and I am proud to acknowledge that.

I know that now you blame magic for the death of your - _our- _father and mother, Arthur. I understand your confusion for it has been my own. But what I came to accept is that magic is used same as any other tool or weapon, constructed to aid or destroy, depending on the heart of the wielder. And you must understand that most magic users are not evil, nor are they inherently good, they just _are_. "

Arthur truly considered this. It reminded him of something Gaius had said just a few weeks ago. Could it be true? But, what of the Purge then? What of the executions and the hunt of magic users throughout the realm? Had there been innocent victims among the evil sorcerers? Had there been _any_ truly evil sorcerers? He didn't dare to think what that implied about his father's actions, his own as well.

The others were reacting a bit more openly. Gwaine was actually laughing with his older self, he seemed to take the news rather well, Elyan looked troubled but couldn't stop stealing glances towards his sister. Percival was calm and only nodded in agreement with the High King while Leon was muttering to himself, genuinely distraught. Merlin's reaction was the most expressive, he had widened eyes that looked almost teary and his lower lip was trembling. 'Poor boy is scared to the bone of magic…' thought Arthur.

"Alright … Say I believe you. You are after all _me_, why would I lie to myself? What about Guinevere though? How is she Queen? Though I already have found it in my heart to forgive her, how did I come to trust her again?"

The royal couple exchanged a look and when Gwen answered him, her tone gentle.

"I was enchanted Arthur, by Morgana. Lancelot too, he was not himself… just a shade."

The hurt in Arthur's eyes that moment made Merlin wince.

Arthur's voice was hoarse. "You want me to believe magic can be good, although it has caused me greater anguish than anything else in my_ life_ …"

Merlin closed his eyes, feeling tears coming up. _His_ fault, then. Gwen was _enchanted_, everything made sense now. He should have expected that, with Lancelot being a shade and his past with the former maid and all. One more time, he had let his friends down, and caused them misery.

"Morgana chose to betray her friends and family, Arthur. She used whatever means necessary to achieve her goals. That just happened to be magic." said the Queen.

The King looked around the room, taking in everyone's expressions. His eyes lingered on Merlin, giving him a slight nod of acknowledgement, and then turned to face Arthur once more.

"Come now, that's enough for one day I believe. You must all rest. Isolde, see to it they all have a room, somewhere away from prying eyes. Guinevere, I trust you will let the staff know they have to prepare meal and bath for each of our guests, perhaps a change of clothes as well."

With that, he exited the room, and others soon followed.

* * *

><p>Isolde had the servants prepare some of the best guest quarters in the castle, one for every knight, and gave the old prince's chambers to Arthur to make him feel more at ease. He was glad of it, for he had to think a lot through and right now, he felt a bit overwhelmed.<p>

Arthur's mind went to Merlin, who was not with him in his rooms, where he would usually be and the look he had during the discussion in the council room. He really had to talk to Merlin about it. Not only to make sure his servant is fine, but to ask of his personal opinion as well. Arthur might speculate all he wanted about Merlin's view at the issue of magic, but truth was he always surprised him, dropping little sparkles of wisdom and giving new perspective to look at old problems.

With Merlin he was sure he would get the truth and for that he was eternally grateful.

A knock on the door interrupted him from his musings. A young serving girl stepped in and set a tray of food at the table.

"Do you know where Merlin is? I mean, I guess I inquire about the younger looking Merlin…" he asked her. Arthur had noted that his manservant's future self hadn't been present at the council, like he would normally; standing by his side in case he was needed. He probably was spending any money he had at the tavern, like always.

The girl was hesitant but eventually answered him.

"He's in his room, milord. Do you need anything else?"

"I suppose not. You can leave."

He'd let Merlin rest for the night. They all looked like they could really use some sleep. He picked up the goblet of wine from the tray and took a sip.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile at the other side of the castle, up in the tallest tower of the citadel, Merlin was led outside the door of the Court Sorcerer's Chambers. He entered slowly, only to find the King of Camelot waiting for him with a smirk plastered on his face.<p>

"Arth… Sire?" The king smiled. He was missing his crown, his stance obviously relaxed.

"Well? What did you think of my 'Magic Is Back' spiel? I think it went rather well myself…" King Arthur said in a smug fashion, ever the spoiled prat.

Merlin didn't answer immediately, but took a moment to observe his surroundings. It was a huge chamber, almost twice the size of the physician's chambers, and was full of piles of books, tables with what seemed to be experiments taking place upon them -a mortar was actually still moving_, sorcery_!- and everywhere around the room one could spot little bottles full of strange ingredients, potions, elixirs and plenty other concoctions.

In the back of the room, where the king was, he could see a large fire hearth, with two comfortably looking armchairs in front of it and a small table in between. Finally, almost unseen, was another door, smaller and simpler than the front door of the chamber, left ajar, so that he could see it was leading to a bedroom.

The King watched him in silence, understanding his need to let it all sink in, and then gestured for Merlin to sit in one of the armchairs, while he was taking the other. After the warlock sat, Arthur reached and poured them both some wine from a pitcher he hadn't notice was there before.

He gave him one goblet whilst he drank from his own.

"You are in shock. I'm sorry. I forget how impossible my knowing of your magic felt to you back then. Feel free to ask me anything you like, _old_ friend," he smiled at his word play, "and I will answer honestly."

Merlin, who was coming back from his shock-induced stupor, swallowed hard. He looked at King Arthur, in his eyes, finally finding the strength to speak.

"Where is Gaius? And my other self? They told me this is my work room, the … Court Sorcerer's chambers… Sorry, I'm a bit overwhelmed by all this, I guess…" he looked down again, "I… I really thought you would never know." He added with a small voice, looking for all the world like a lost, scared child.

"Gaius is where he always is, working in the lower town with his patients. He is quite old so he moves slower now. But you'll be happy to hear he has two assistants. One of them is a magic user. They've helped him immensely, and love him like a father, though you are still officially his only ward. As for my _other side of the coin_," he smiled knowingly at Merlin, earning a surprised reaction from the young warlock, "he is on a mission to investigate some reports near the southeast borders. He is expected to come back the day after tomorrow."

The younger man genuinely smiled. After a few minutes of quiet reflection, Merlin broke the silence.

"So… Are you… Are you really at peace with me?" he dared to ask. "Because all I ever did was for you Arthur, you must know that by now. You're the most important person in my life. Well, you, my mother and Gaius I guess… How is she by the way?"

The King cleared his throat, unable to speak for a moment or two, his eyes glistening. "Uh… Yeah … Last time I saw her she was fine. I expect she is joining the harvest like all the others back in Ealdor this time of the year. "

Merlin remembered those happy days from when he was living with his mum in his village. Every man and woman able lent a hand for the harvest to be collected.

The king finished his wine. "It's getting late. If that is all, then I should probably return to my wife. Get some sleep, and try not to worry about how you'll get home. I'm sure once Merlin, _my_ Merlin, is back he'll sort it out in a minute…" He got up to leave.

Merlin nodded in agreement. Then as an afterthought, he added. "Say goodnight to Gwen for me… And, tell her I'm sorry. For not preventing what happened. For the pain I caused to the both of you."

Hearing that, King Arthur, who had already reached the door, stopped abruptly.

"Don't say that again," He looked rigid and his tone was suddenly firm, "Don't you _dare _say again that this was your doing. Gods Merlin! You are so selfless it drives me mad sometimes. The things you torment yourself with… I swear to you, we would never blame you for something like that." He finished gently.

The warlock looked at him sheepishly; a weight of guilt lifted from his shoulders.

"Thank you, Arthur. Good night."

The King just nodded in reply, smiled once more and then left the room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN : I've said that this goes AU from 4x09. I began writing the story before the series finale, just depended on spoilers. In my world, Morgana revealed to Arthur –perhaps during the battle in 4x13- that she had enchanted Gwen and Lancelot, so there was no need to kill off Isolde. ;) I assure you that the plot thickens from now on, and don't worry about updating, the story is already written, just goes through the final editing, chapter by chapter. **

**And remember: Reviews = Love **


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks again for the reviews and alerts. This is a favorite chapter of mine, hope you like the way the story develops…**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5: An Urgent Matter <strong>

Merlin was awakened by a young maid, who brought him his breakfast and informed him he was expected at the council room. The girl looked almost reverent of him, but not afraid, so the young warlock smiled and thanked the lass, daring to conjure a small flower and offering it to her. She beamed at him and, to his embarrassment, bowed deeply before leaving him alone to prepare for the meeting.

A thrill surged through the young warlock, the likes of which he had never felt before. He had just performed _magic_ in front of a Camelot citizen, who had in turn actually appreciated it!

'I really, really hope this is not a dream…' he thought, and then moved to get dressed.

The sun was high when they were once again gathered in the small council room, the party from the past with the addition of the older Gwaine and the newly arrived older Sir Percival and Sir Leon. The three seasoned knights remained silent, while the younger ones talked, discussing the situation. Soon enough the King and Queen arrived, escorted by a blond knight they didn't recognize, Isolde and finally Gaius.

"I trust you had a good night's rest. Let me introduce you all to Sir Tristan, whose lovely wife Isolde you have already met and of course you know Gaius."

Sir Tristan gave them a reserved nod, while Isolde smiled politely.

Gaius on the other hand greeted them all with a raised eyebrow, shaking his head and muttering something about silly warlocks that got themselves in magical trouble every week. The old man didn't look much different, only a bit more wrinkled. Merlin felt immensely better when he saw him. It might had been only a day or two since he last set eyes upon his mentor, but his presence here calmed the young warlock a great deal.

They hadn't barely begun when suddenly the doors burst open and in came a worried young knight.

"Your majesty! The knights came back from the southeast boarders… They bring bad news, Sire." He cried.

He was followed by another knight; Merlin recognized him as an older looking Sir Gareth, his appearance tired and battle worn. He stepped inside and reported, not wasting a moment to catch his breath.

"Sire… I'm afraid it was a trap… The reports were false, there was no curse, and by the time we realized that, we were ambushed by Morgana's men," he paused to take a breath, "…and the witch herself. I'm sorry my lord. They…"

The King interrupted the knight. "Merlin. Where is he?" he demanded.

"They've taken him, my Lord." The knight said and lowered his eyes in defeat.

Merlin, who was not in Sir Gareth's line of sight, due to a rather large Sir Percival in front of him, looked at the King alarmed. Beside him, Arthur cursed loudly, causing the two knights at the entrance to finally take notice of the strange company.

But King Arthur didn't give them any time to wonder, he immediately sprang into action, starting to run towards the Great Council Hall, yelling orders to everyone who was in his way.

"Quickly, gather the Round Table! Everyone come with me to the Great Hall. Call all the advisors and tell the squires to start preparing horses and armor for three groups of knights, a dozen each. You there! Find Lady Andria, tell her to gather the Silver Guard and then meet with us as well."

In a few minutes they were all in the Great Hall, surrounded by a crowd of shouting people, knights, nobles and servants alike, creating a general sense of panic.

"Silence!" The King ordered.

Everyone stopped and looked at him.

He addressed his knights first. "Percival, Gwaine, you will take a group of knights each and head for the south-east boarders. There you will split and begin your search. I'll send a member of the Silver Guard with each group, you'll need a magic user. Sir Leon, you'll take the third group and ride south, beyond the borders, towards Morgana's territory. I want you to try to find out if he is held somewhere there. Whatever any of you find, send word back to us via the Silver Guard. Now, where is Andria?"

"I'm here, Sire" said a young red-haired woman, no more than twenty five years old. She had light brown eyes and was wearing a dark blue tunic, embroidered with a silver star in the front. "The Guard is at your command."

"Good. I need you to scry for Lord Merlin, in case she hadn't shielded him and also you must send three of your best with the knights. _You _however, are given the task of keeping this Merlin safe for the moment."

That seemed to make everyone turn towards the servant who was trying look as inconspicuous as possible. Lady Andria nodded looking both worried and determined. That was the exact moment when Arthur decided enough was enough, he needed some explanations.

"Can _someone_ please explain to us why Morgana has apparently kidnapped _Mer_lin, of all people? What was he doing so far from Camelot? And why on earth you call him Lord? _A Lord!_ _Why _are you all looking so panicked? The silver guard, I gather, is some kind of group of sorcerers I wasn't informed of… I guess I understand my older self being somewhat distraught by the news, but all of you…" Arthur couldn't find it in him to continue.

Murmurs filled the room. Arthur looked at the King again, who appeared to be thinking very hard. He understood his pain of course, he shared it, Merlin was and would always be his best friend. He remembered all too well the agony of not knowing if he's alive or dead, after they got separated at the Valley of the Fallen Kings. But every single person in the room was scared, panicked at the thought of a captured Merlin, as if it was a matter of _state_. And his future self had called him Lord Merlin. Did he promote him to some kind of envoy or advisor? If that was the case, _had his older self lost his marbles?_

Why was his servant so … important all of a sudden?

Once more, the King addressed everyone in the room, choosing to ignore Arthur's outburst for the moment.

"You all know what to do. Gaius, please talk with Sir Gareth, while you treat him and the other survivors. Try to find what happened exactly, what she wants with Merlin. Go." They both took off.

"Tristan, you will ride west, meet with Sir Elyan and his party at Lord Forringel's castle and tell them they are to return to Camelot immediately. Isolde, you should stay here, Guinevere might need your help at the citadel, if the rest of us are to leave eventually."

Obeying his commands, the hall was empty in a few minutes, leaving the King and Queen alone with the younger party. Lady Andria remained as well, moving closer to Merlin in a protective position. That caused Merlin to blush_, he wasn't a maiden in distress for goodness sake!_

King Arthur wasted no time. Moving closer to Arthur and Merlin, he faced his younger self and spoke.

"This might come as a surprise, Arthur, but Merlin is quite important here. As a matter of fact, he is pretty important back in your time but you do not know that. Not yet." He spared a look towards the young servant, and saw the dread written on his face.

"Here he is known as Lord Merlin, the Emrys of prophecies and the last Dragonlord, first Advisor to the King, leader of the Silver Guard and Court Sorcerer of Camelot."

Arthur fainted.

* * *

><p><strong>Liked it? Feel free to review :D<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you SO much for the reviews and the alerts! They are the highlight of my day… I would also like to take the chance to thank the wonderful Arwyn T, my beta. Her help has proven invaluable : ) However, I hope you will excuse any language mistake , for neither myself nor my beta are native English speakers. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: The Magic Reveal<strong>

Alright, so he didn't _actually _faint.

Merely, his hearing started buzzing, a few black spots blinded his peripheral vision and he might or might not have lost his balance and fallen down. Briefly.

But Arthur did _not _faint. Because fainting is not a kingly thing to do. It is what a _damsel_ _in distress_ would do. But not kings.

"He is the Court … Sorcerer?" he whispered, steadying himself. The words sounded strange coming out of him. With wide eyes and an expression devoid of any kind of emotion, Arthur was clearly still processing the newfound information.

"You… I … I can't believe this…" he muttered. "I _forced_ Merlin, a loyal friend, to study _sorcery_? No… And he was actually _good_ at it? But… he is so scared of magic! That makes no sense… How could I _ever _do such a thing?"

Merlin scoffed. 'Figures', he thought. 'He honestly doesn't have a clue, does he? He still thinks I am an idiot… At least he actually admitted I'm his friend in front of an audience.'

The secret the warlock dreaded above all else had come to the surface and Merlin found himself feeling surprisingly annoyed by Arthur's reaction. Was it entirely his friend's fault though? All these years, after all the lies and the deceit, how could he blame anyone other than himself for his '_stupid, mumbling Merlin, the useless manservant_' façade working so perfectly?

The King had said he had no memories of this journey… So after they get back, it's a clean slate.

'What the heck,' he thought, 'it's now or never… just go for it.'

"Arthur, no. You have it wrong… you didn't force me to do anything. You _couldn't_ even if you wanted to." Arthur turned around to face him. Merlin stepped up until he was in front of him, only a couple of paces apart. He looked in Arthur's eyes, held his gaze firmly, making sure he had his undivided attention and then took a deep breath.

"Arthur," he said, his voice hoarse, "I have magic. I am a warlock".

Arthur did not react what so ever. Not a sound could be heard in the room. One could cut the tension with a knife. Merlin waited for a moment and then tried again.

"I was born with it, Arthur. With magic. A creature of the Old Religion, that's what I am." And for the full effect he raised his hand, pointing at a nearby chair. Lady Andria understood his intentions and gave him a warning look, which he failed to notice, never letting his eyes lose those of his friend.

"_**Bæl on bryne,**_" he said, with a clear pronunciation, making it impossible for anybody not to recognize the language of the Old Religion. The wooden chair burst into flames, causing a disturbance throughout the previously stunned knights. Sir Leon and Percival instinctively reached for their swords, while the other two knights just took a step back. Exasperated, Andria flicked her wrist at the flames and they slowly died down.

But Arthur did not notice that. In fact, he didn't register anything at all after witnessing Merlin's eyes turn a fiery shade of gold, an indisputable sing of magic. His best friend had just confessed to him, his king and employer, that he uses -no scratch that- that he _is_ magic. A king, whose father had hunted and executed thousand under that exact charge …

He had thought about the topic a lot the previous evening, and had come to the conclusion that he might have been wrong about magic after all. Everything he learned here, the obvious prosperity of the kingdom that was to be contributed to the allowance of magic combined with the reasonable words of the King were enough to shake the foundations of his prejudice.

Years of fear and suffering had made him cautious; his instinct usually warned him to be on guard whenever he was in the presence of a magic user. Not now though. Now his insides felt like they had caught fire and then turned abruptly into ice.

He truly felt he was going to be _sick_.

He knew Merlin, Merlin wasn't evil. And he wasn't supposed to be a sorcerer, but apparently he was. _But neither magic is evil, _was what his future self had said. So Merlin wasn't evil and was also a sorcerer and that turned him into something else as well.

A liar, and a damn good one at that. A liar that had stood by his side all those years, amongst people who would see him dead the moment they realized what he was. _Did he ever use magic in front of me?_ He thought. _Was he laughing at my expense or feared he would be caught and burned at the stake?_

He stayed in Camelot, risking his life daily, for what exactly? A position in the royal household? Somehow Arthur highly doubted mucking stables and being used as a practice dummy was Merlin's idea of an ideal occupation. Every other sorcerer he had met had tried to kill and deceive him, his father or his friends. Was Merlin like them?

No definitely not. He _knew_ him. Merlin was full of love and compassion; he offered his friendship and loyalty to everyone worthy, no matter their status. _That_ wasn't an act, Arthur was certain of it.

Merlin was beginning to worry; Arthur hadn't even flinched all this time. He had been just standing there, looking at him.

"Arthur, listen…" he began but was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing his throat. Turning around, he saw the King gesturing for him to come closer. He really didn't want to leave Arthur like this, but since he was still unresponsive, Merlin didn't expect much to change if he moved away.

Wrong.

The moment he took one step backwards, a hand was locked around his wrist, an iron grasp preventing him from going any further.

Arthur then addressed all the others. "Leave us please…"

His knights left reluctantly, understanding his need to confront the warlock alone, but being concerned none the less. King Arthur lowered his head in agreement, and gave Merlin a small nod of support before ordering Andria to step out, and give the two friends some privacy. Declaring that he would be in his chambers trying to figure out the course of action they should take, regarding Lord Merlin's abduction, he and the Queen finally took off.

That left Merlin alone with Arthur. Merlin tried in vain to free his hand. He gulped, feeling truly afraid for the first time since the beginning of this conversation. He hoped it wouldn't come down to physical violence, but with Arthur's temper, one could never be sure.

"Please be sensible Arthur… I know you think I betrayed you but the truth is I was _always_ on your side…" he sighed, "Please understand …" His voice faded.

"I know. Just got that, thank you." Arthur replied, his expression unreadable. "What have you done with it?"

Merlin was confused. "You mean my magic? What, you think I used it, on you?"

"Well yes, that too. But I was talking more…generally."

Merlin couldn't decipher his friend's tone. He wasn't trying to kill him that was certain. He should be glad. Arthur was asking him to explain himself. Now was his chance to make him see his point of view.

"I have told you already, Arthur, _you don't know how many times I've saved your life_. I was being literate back then. _You_ were, still are, the reason I stayed in Camelot. What I've done with my _gift _is use it to protect you and your kingdom from all magical and occasionally _non-_magical threats. I make sure you live to see another day, to become the greatest king the world will ever know. I only use my magic for _that_, Sire. It's the one thing I'm very good at. I'm not some stupid…"

Arthur stopped him there. "I know, Merlin."

The warlock closed his eyes. He was determined to say one more thing, something he felt he _needed_ to say.

"I'm sorry I never told you… I'm sorry I lied."

Arthurs answer took him by surprise. "Actually, I think… I don't blame you. Honestly, I doubt I would have ever believed you, especially those first years of our acquaintance. I almost didn't believe you now and you practiced it literally in front of me."

Merlin felt his hope rise at the playful tone he detected in his friend's voice. "So you think…," he trailed, "…can you forgive me?"

Arthur looked at him then, and smiled for the first time in a long time.

"Yes. Of course I can. That's what friends are for anyway."

* * *

><p>Merlin thought they spoke for hours, but it couldn't be more than half an hour. He told Arthur everything he could remember, answered a lot of questions, but he spared a few of the details for some other, more suitable time. As much as he rejoiced that his secret was finally out and that Arthur was surprisingly accepting, his future self had just been taken. By Morgana, no less. They couldn't waste any more time talking, they had to find the others.<p>

Upon exiting the Council Hall, they met with Isolde, who was on her way to find them. She was in a hurry, and still very distracted by the news of Lord Merlin's capture. The mirthful atmosphere that had somehow managed to develop between the two men suddenly became sober.

"Arthur, Merlin. Good to see you have settled things straight," Isolde said. "King Arthur sent me. He has decided that it would be beneficial for Merlin and your party to train to fight with magic users, or at least watch a magic training session. He requests yours and the knights' presence at the training grounds. As soon as you are ready. I'll see you there."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the knights spent this time in Arthur's old rooms, arguing.<p>

"I tell you it was him alright!" said Percival, clearly frustrated.

"How could Merlin be the Old Man in the forest? He is the reason that Uther is dead, and he attacked us. He threatened the _king_!"Gwaine retorted.

"I don't know about the Old Man, but _so_ many other things make sense now. How he survived the battle with the dragon, how he knew about Lady Catrina, she was the troll who enchanted King Uther, you probably have heard the tale. Even the Witchfinder and Morgause… Wait, do you think… the cup of life? We never found out what happened… Could he be the one who had destroyed the immortal army?" Said Sir Leon.

"Well magic or not, I know one thing, Merlin would _never _hurt us. I mean if he had wanted to, he had had so many chances… like with Lamia. We were awful to him but he didn't do anything to harm us. Though he obviously could." added Elyan.

Gwain nodded. "You all forget where we are _now_. Merlin must obviously be good, he holds a high position at King Arthur's court, and they all respect him. The important issue now is that he is in Morgana's clutches," he reminded them.

They all, some perhaps a bit reluctantly, agreed to his point.

There was a sound of foot steps behind the door which opened to reveal a concerned Arthur and Merlin.

Arthur greeted them. "Here you all are. Alright then, the King is expecting us to meet him at the training grounds. Get ready and head there. Apparently, until word comes from the search parties we are to train and get ready to face Morgana and her minions."

Merlin shook his head. "How do you manage to sound so arrogant even while quoting another man's orders is beyond me…"

"It's because I _am_ that man, Merlin. Now help me get into my armor and then you better go and wear something more… Hmm … What's the word I'm looking for… Why yes, of course. _Magical_." He waved his hand in front of his servant's chest.

"Haha. Very funny, Sire. You've got me…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: In this chapter I had to address the issue of Arthur learning to accept Merlin's magic. Do not worry though, next chapter will have more action… **

**Please, if you like this, feel free to review :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thank you all for the support! I really appreciate you telling me your opinions on the story. I only hope you'll find what I've come up with interesting…**

**Also, know that the characters thoughts will be in **_**italics**_** from now on.**

_**Because it's just easier for me! ;)**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Underestimated<strong>

Half an hour later, the group was heading to the training grounds. The three search parties for Merlin -Lord Emrys as the future knights called him apparently- had left the citadel minutes ago in a hurry.

Closing in, they spotted King Arthur, Gaius and Andria standing there, waiting for them to arrive. Isolde was there also, but was practicing using her sword and exceptional skills to massacre the training dummy, a few feet away. Talk about a way to relieve tension.

"You're late." The King sounded annoyed. "We can't waste precious time. Anyway, Gaius here has found out what has happened to Merlin. Gaius?"

The physician looked tired and very, very old. "Indeed, Sire. The knights' reports speak of an encounter with a group of travelers. Merlin repaired a broken wheel on their wagon. To thank, him the travelers, who claimed to be merchants on their way to Camelot, gifted him with a flask of fine wine for his troubles. I inquired around the upper and lower town, but no merchants have arrived since last week. And when I went through his things, I found this…" he took something out of a pack, some sort of rock. "It was inside the flask. It's a Valyreane Stone. A strong sedative, enhanced with magic, to induce sleep. The knights report that Morgana's men attacked at night while Merlin was asleep. He didn't wake up at all during the confrontation. Clearly, he was sedated. Morgana just came and took him, though one of them said he saw her tying him with some sort of silver chain first. These chains could be magic, I'm afraid. I believe she cannot keep him asleep for long, he is too powerful. But she doesn't need to. He needs to be unconscious just long enough for her to find a way to bind his magic, at least temporary. Perhaps she already has, if those chains are what I fear they are…"

Merlin was very pale by the time Gaius finished. Andria seemed to notice that. She came closer and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine, my Lord," she tried to reassure him, giving him a small smile. Merlin caught himself blushing at her gesture.

"Thanks..." Merlin said, while regaining his composure. "Gaius, do you think our arrival here and Lord Merlin's abduction may be somehow connected? Do you think this was her doing as well?"

The old man raised an eyebrow. "I don't know my boy... I don't think so. Time travel of this sort is something no one believed possible. In any case, only one man is known to ever control time."

"And who's that?" Arthur asked, curious.

"Emrys of course." Came a sure, proud answer from Andria's lips, "…that is, Merlin here." She smiled shyly at the warlock. Arthur, on the other hand, just gaped at his friend.

Merlin merely rolled his eyes and continued. "So perhaps it was something else. Do you think we are _meant_ to be here? Maybe the solution to Lord Merlin's predicament lies with us. If Morgana is not the one to have brought us here in the first place, she will certainly be surprised to see us, and she definitely won't be pleased to see me."

"That is precisely what I thought, my lord. And the King agrees as well." Andria pointed out.

The King turned to address them all, his expression dead-serious.

"I ask all of you to help me get my Court Sorcerer back. But let me make myself clear, every one of you have to do whatever I command them to. Do you agree on those terms?"

The knights looked at each other and then at Arthur.

"We will help you in any way we can," he said to his future self.

King Arthur looked a bit more pleased. "Good. What I need of you for now is to become this Merlin's," he pointed at the warlock, "...shadow, to protect him at any turn. He will not go anywhere unescorted; he will not even sleep alone. You will also attend the training of the Silver Guard to better understand the use of magic in battle. We will have to face Morgana soon, and I don't want any disadvantage whatsoever."

They nodded in affirmation. Merlin squeaked indignantly. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, you know!"

"Clearly you're not," Arthur answered, "… hence, you getting captured".

"I've saved your royal backside plenty, haven't I?" the warlock retorted.

"Ahem," the King intervened, before the banter got out of hand. "You, Merlin, will be training with Andria. She is one of the most promising young sorceresses in the land, your favorite pupil and second in command. Gaius will keep researching, to find what Morgana intends to do with Lord Merlin. I'm afraid that, as macabre as it sounds, if she wanted to kill him, she would have done it there, on the spot. I will be in the Great Hall if you need me. If anything comes up, you'll be notified. Understood? Good. You may proceed."

King Arthur left for the castle, Isolde and Gaius soon followed.

Andria faced the young warlock. "Come, let us begin. As the King said, we do not have much time…"

She sent the young knights to form a wide circle around the two of them. Arthur stood there awkwardly, until she gestured him to the side lines, where there was a barrel of water.

"You want me to be the water-boy?" he looked incredulous. "That is beneath me! I am a king! Perhaps not here but still…"

She wasn't intimidated. "He is _Emrys_ and still he carries your water…"

Arthur stiffened. Yes, his friend was powerful apparently, and still chose to serve him in the lowest of tasks. He walked to the barrel and filled a tankard. He was going to watch Merlin train, for once not doing the training -meaning beating the poor boy to a pulp- himself.

Merlin suddenly realized that his friends would watch him do magic, and probably serious magic as well, for the _second _time this day. Has it really been just one day? It felt like ages… He shook his head trying to clear his mind.

Andria addressed him, talking confidently but keeping her voice down, so the others probably couldn't hear them. "Morgana is powerful, Merlin, but you're stronger. She knows that, she's afraid of you, it's been that way for a long time. But she has evolved from your time. She is more resourceful, faster, and can anticipate many moves through her power of Seeing. _I_ couldn't win against her."

"But you can, my lord," she continued. "Your instinctual magic comes from the depths of the Old Religion, the earth itself. If you incant a spell, your magic becomes precise, focused on a specific task, allowing her to See the outcome of your actions. But if you use raw magic that originates from your soul and emotions, then you can be almighty. You'll need to build your stamina though, such a task is exhausting, and you could very easily end up drained of your strength and unable to defend yourself."

Merlin nodded in agreement.

"Now, let's try not to step further than the circle our friends here provide us with." She then closed her eyes and wrinkled her forehead in obvious concentration.

Merlin felt a surge of magic emitting from her. "_Come," _he could hear her say inside his head. Suddenly the wind rose and created three whirlwinds, only to settle down in a few moments revealing three figures in their stead.

The Silver Guard, Merlin realized. The men who answered her call were older than Andria, older than him, and perhaps his future self as well. They were wearing robes of the Guard, midnight blue with a silver star on the front as a sigil. They lowered their heads with respect in his direction and then moved to stand in a formation behind the woman.

_This should be interesting,_ Arthur thought, and moved closer, to the best viewing spot he could find.

Merlin, who hadn't had a chance to change his servant's clothes yet, decided he would need all the flexibility he could get, and removed his jacket. He walked to Arthur and placed it besides his king. Arthur shot him an amused look. "Think you can beat them?"

Merlin shrugged. He had no idea. He almost never used his magic for battles, and when he did, it usually was really small, discreet spells, not powerful enchantments. Not one for showing off, our young warlock.

"Is this safe for Arthur and the knights?" he asked the sorceress.

For a reply he got an incantation from Andria.

"_**Geshieldan**_", she said and her eyes turned gold, as a faintly blue force field surrounded them in a perfect dome. "There. The knights can come and go as they please but as long as they remain outside of this shield they will be protected from our magic." she told him.

The knights were obviously exited, could barely hold in one place. None of them really knew what Merlin could do, but either it was impressive magic or clumsy parlay tricks, the situation surely promised them pure entertainment, something they desperately needed after the recent turn of events.

"Instinctive magic, my Lord, do not forget. You must resist any urge to incant. Just let yourself free, Merlin… feel the world around you and simply _react._"

Gwaine sniggered at that, "I'm afraid if he is instructed to just be himself, we'll be searching for Merlin's remains on the floor in a matter of seconds…" he said loud enough for all the knights to hear and laugh goodheartedly. Arthur also found it amusing, though having a bit more of an accurate image of Merlin's gifts, through their previous talk, he suspected this fight would probably be over quickly and with a skinny dark-haired warlock as the winner. But his knights didn't know that.

Deciding to take advantage of the situation, he challenged them.

"I tell you what. Why don't we do something to motivate our friend? Say, if he defeats all of them in less than ten strikes from his part, he gets to select one of you to act as his servant for the day? What say you?"

The knights were surprised by Arthur's suggestion, but agreed without a moment's hesitation.

Arthur smirked at Merlin, who seemed very pleased with the bargain.

Andria moved and the training session begun.

Lifting one hand up, she started incanting in her head, a spell of fire, while her fellow sorcerers began pacing, circling the young warlock.

Merlin waited patiently, reaching for his magic but choosing not to act, until the Guard members shot their hands in the air in a smooth coordinated movement and attacked him with three blasts of magic coming from three different directions. At the same time, Andria's ball of fire appeared in front of her, growing in size and closing in on him with a flick of her fingers.

But Merlin was prepared for them. He was connected with his magic, the magic of the land. And he _really_ wanted to order Gwaine around for a whole day.

He had called for his magic, a power that emanated from deep within his core, and it answered his call eagerly. _If it's a power display they want, then that's exactly what they'll get.'_ he thought.

He summoned the force and let it flow. Time slowed down, allowing him to see everything that was happening. Chuckling softly, he gathered every bid of energy he could and then he burst it out.

Time went back to normal in a flash and Merlin's eyes glowed a fierce gold as he expelled a huge surge of power, a golden globe forming abruptly around him and expanding to reach the other sorcerers. The globe kept growing, cracking with barely controlled energy. Every other spell disappeared when the sphere touched them, and his four opponents found themselves falling on the ground, after they had been thrown in the air and had hit Andria's protective force field. Said force field vibrated violently, and after a few moments began to fade.

The golden globe subsided just as quickly as it had appeared and then vanished.

The knights were left with mouths hanging open, effectively shocked into silence when a rather exhausted but very pleased Merlin stepped up, grinning to his dazzled friends and moving to help Andria and the other sorcerers get up on their feet.

* * *

><p><strong>There you have it! We finally saw Merlin in some magical action! I can't help myself, I love bamf!Merlin… -grins sheepishly- <strong>

**Anyhow, if you liked it, please review! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Ok… This is a tiny bit… huge. My Beta reader was literally yawning ****by the time we finished going through this**** (not that the chapter was boring but it was 10 pm and she had gotten up early).**

**Thanks for your support, and now we continue…**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: The plan<strong>

After spending all morning in training, Merlin was relieved to go back to his chambers. He had pushed his magic hard, harder than ever, and had ended up exhausted but satisfied. Truth be told, he never was the kind of person who went for huge, impressive shows of power -too modest for his own good really- and the instinctive magic needed for this situation couldn't be anything but.

Sighing heavily, he walked to the smaller door, leading to his "new" bedroom. Lady Andria had insisted she should stand guard outside his bedroom door, but he had managed to convince her that the two palace guards out in the hallway were enough for his protection, and if he was to be attacked, he would immediately call for her, using mind speech. She had already explained that only the members of the Silver Guard would be able to use a teleportation spell inside Camelot, due to Lord Merlin's protective wards, so he wasn't too concerned over unwanted visitors. After she left, he fell on the bed, asleep before his head even hit the pillow. All this magic has taken its toll on him.

* * *

><p>Arthur had figured out that Merlin was a seriously strong sorcerer before they went to training. That's why he made his men take the bait.<p>

The moment though he saw a golden sphere of –what he could only guess was- _pure magic_ surround his manservant, it finally dawned on him.

_This_ was the most powerful sorcerer in the world… and his daily schedule included mucking out Arthur's stables, polishing his armor and mending his socks.

The weight of it was too much.

All those times that they fought, all those friends and family that he had lost, everything, it could have been _prevented._ If Merlin could have been who he really was, everything would have been easier, and Arthur might even have had a family still, at the end of the day. Now only his uncle remained.

What a waste of potential, all because of fear. He truly felt like crying from frustration.

* * *

><p>King Arthur sent messengers to inform them that their -quite late- lunch would be served in Merlin's quarters, and that he and Gaius would be joining them. Merlin had sent word through a page boy that he was apparently too tired to move more than a few feet, though Arthur suspected a hint of laziness in his friend's actions.<p>

* * *

><p>Gwaine swore as he managed to nearly drop the tray he carried up the stairway to the tower. The other knights kept muffling sniggers, steeling glances and joking behind his back, while they trailed behind him.<p>

When they finally made it to the chambers, they were shocked to discover how huge they actually were. Two servants had already brought up several chairs, a table and some more food, in addition to Gwaine's royal menu of bread and poorly roasted chicken. There was red wine as well, and lots of fruit.

What caught their attention though was the rest of the room. It was a true wizard's work room, full of trinkets and experiments, bottles and vials full of questionable looking materials, books left half-open, strange cages for gods-know-what-kind-of animals, and so on…

The servants finished arranging the table and left, curtsying all the way to the door.

Arthur spotted another door and dared to look inside that room. It was the sleeping quarters, with a few wooden furniture and a large bed, on top of which lay a sleeping Merlin, still in his servant's clothes. He hadn't even bothered to go under the duvet. Quietly, Arthur stepped in and walked to the bed.

"Merlin" he spoke gently. The boy looked extremely tired, Arthur pitied him.

"Come on, wake up… Merlin…!"

The figure slowly turned and Merlin opened his eyes.

"'thur? Wh' tme 's it…?"

"It's lunch time, Merlin. We are all gathered here, come on. Get up, that's it. Come on. That a good boy…."

Merlin glared at him sleepily, though he let him give him a hand to get up.

"You should probably change into something more… clean. You stink, Merlin."

"How good of you to notice, Arthur. Alright, I'm bound to find a clean tunic inside the closet. Go, I'll be right with you in a moment, Sire."

Arthur nodded, choosing to ignore the fact that Merlin gave him an order and went back to the main chamber. The knights had already begun eating -no manners this lot- so he sat at the end of the table and poured himself some wine.

King Arthur and Gaius joined them then and, after a small greeting, they sat on the table as well.

"Where is Merlin?" asked Gaius.

"I'm here!"Came a distant respond.

Then in walked Merlin.

He didn't_ look _like Arthur's manservant though. He looked like the Court Sorcerer. Paying more attention, Arthur noticed that the only thing which had changed in his attire was that he had thrown a long, rich blue tunic on, with the sigil of the Guard on the front, though he still wore his old breaches and worn boots underneath. But that was all it took for the servant to disappear and Merlin's inner nobility to come to the surface. _Still smelling though_, Arthur noted.

Merlin took no notice at the change in the atmosphere his arrival had caused. He smiled politely and took his seat next to Arthur. The younger king felt a swell of pride at the silent statement. _He is still my loyal friend_. _Not this High King's Court Sorcerer_. The older King seemed to acknowledge that as well, a sad look appearing on his face.

Arthur winced._ Right, _his_ Merlin is missing._

"While Merlin and Arthur eat, if they can find anything after the rest of you devoured almost everything, Gaius here can inform us of his latest discovery," said the King.

Merlin started munching on anything he could find, feeling starved and needing to regain his energy, while Arthur continued sipping his wine, looking at the old physician expectantly. Sir Gwaine hurried to pass the hungry warlock a goblet of wine like a proper servant would. Merlin smirked at him and raised his hand in a silent toast towards the knight.

Gaius chose to ignore them. "I'm afraid my findings aren't suitable for discussion over lunch. But we must speak of them nonetheless. So, this is what I found out. I was wondering why Morgana would want to attack Merlin and _not _kill him immediately. And why did she choose now of all times? Most importantly, how could Merlin never suspect something was wrong? Perhaps we'll never know the answer to that last question..."

That is true, Merlin thought. How easily his older self had fallen into the trap was still beyond him…

The physician continued. "I think I've found the answer to the first two questions. In a few days, Merlin here will celebrate his birthday." Everybody, even Merlin, gasped in surprise. He knew he was born around this time of year but even his mother didn't know the exact date. It had been a difficult childbirth and Ealdor was a small village, time went by differently there. Gaius seemed to understand his bewilderment. "I was present at your birth, Merlin, and noted the date in my old journal when I came back to Camelot. I thought the journal lost for years, until I came across it recently. I don't understand how Morgana figured it out but in two days, you are turning twenty four, while your older self is turning thirty three years old. I'm afraid _that_ age, thirty three, is significant in the Old Religion, for it represents the beginning of maturity," he paused, taking in the general confusion. "A sorcerer's power is constantly growing with added knowledge, but for a warlock, like Merlin, who is a child of the Old Ways, the Age of Maturity will grant him a new level of control and understanding over his innate powers. And to think he already is the most powerful of us all."

All eyes on the table turned to the young warlock. Merlin gulped.

"Morgana, as a priestess of the Old Religion, knows that. She also knows that this is the only time in a person's life that their magic is unstable, if only for a day. I'm concerned Sire…", the old man sighed. "I am afraid that she means to steal it."

Merlin was the first to react to that.

"What! You mean she wants to steal my _magic_?"

Gaius nodded grimly.

"How can that be? I mean, my magic isn't something I learned; it's a part of me! I _always_ had magic!"

Gaius could only agree. "And that is what really scares me, my dear boy. If Morgana succeeds in stealing his powers, not only is Camelot doomed, but I believe Lord Merlin won't be able to survive the ordeal."

"So I will _die._ On my birthday."

Gaius's look was a mixture of concern and fear for his beloved young ward. Arthur -who had a sinister expression- reached and touched his arm in comfort while addressing the others.

"Well, we know the when and why, now we only need to figure out how and where. Don't worry Merlin, we will get through this. Together." He said to his friend.

"In regards to the location," the King answered, "the Silver Guard report says that scrying over Morgana's castle is being warded. That to me is an indicator that he is held there captive, for now. Gaius, do you believe she will perform the ritual there?"

"I don't believe so. This kind of powerful magic needs a link to the earth for it to work. I think the Isle of the Blessed will be Morgana's choice. And as for how, I've already found the ritual in some of the older books in the library. It is dark magic, blood magic, and needs hours to prepare, so it is safe to say she will have to arrive at the Isle tomorrow evening at the latest."

"So, what are we waiting for?" Gwaine intervened. "Let's go get the evil witch, save the fair maiden," Merlin scoffed at that indignantly, "so that we can finally find a way to return home. I've been somber long enough…"

* * *

><p>Merlin trained for another two hours with Andria after the council had ended. This time they only focused on meditation and ways to work up his stamina, so he was feeling rather invigorated by the time he head out looking for Arthur. He found him in Gaius's chambers, lost between ancient tomes and parchments, looking at some maps.<p>

"Finished with today's session? I've been reading about the ritual and was hoping you could clarify some points that seem to elude me." Arthur asked him. He sounded strained, but it was only logical. _The prat must have never read so much in his life,_ Merlin thought fondly.

"Sure, let me see." He took the parchment that his friend handed him and read it through. It was a very complex ritual, needing the highest level of magic, many rare ingredients -a _virgin'_s blood amongst them- lots of time and lots of sorcerers and finally, the victim's blood sacrifice. It didn't look like a pleasant thing to experience… _Of course you idiot, it's meant to kill you_, said a voice in his head, which sounded suspiciously like Arthur.

Sighing loudly he started explaining to his friend.

* * *

><p>At dinner, they gathered again and listened to the progress that had been made through the day. Apparently the search parties had come across some of Morgana's troops, even had a few casualties. They had managed though to figure out how many would escort the witch and her captive to the Isle. A caravan of three carriages and more than fifty men, many of them known sorcerers, was being prepared for departure from the castle as they spoke. They would arrive the following evening at their destination.<p>

King Arthur decided they would ambush them there, having the advantage of moving faster on horses without any carriages holding them back. That meant that they had to depart in less than an hour. So they finished their dinner rather quickly and headed to pack their bags.

Merlin found the Sidhe staff in his room, under his bed as always. He decided he wouldn't take anything else and changed in some light traveling clothes that looked like his old ones, but in fact were of much finer quality, and wore a dark cloak on his shoulders.

He dropped by Arthur's chambers on his way to the stables, but his friend was already gone.

When he reached the stables, a stable hand gave him the reigns of a horse. His other companions were there also, preparing to set off.

Gwaine and Percival seemed to have an argument. The others were trying to ignore them.

"For the last time, it couldn't be him!" Gwaine yelled at Percival.

"What's going on?" Merlin asked as he came closer.

"You want to tell him?" said Gwaine in a challenging manner, while he gestured to the warlock.

"Tell me what?"

Percival steeled himself and answered. "I was just _suggesting_ to Gwaine here that you might have been the old wizard we encountered that time at the forest."

Merlin smirked at that.

"So," Percival continued, "…were you?"

Merlin started laughing then. "Indeed that was me. Sorry!" he said, clearly not convincing anyone of his apology.

"What?" Gwaine said, shocked. "_You_ attacked us, threatened Arthur and _killed _Uther…"

Merlin interrupted the knight before he could accuse him of anything else. "No. Morgana killed Uther, I was trying to heal him. It all went horribly wrong. And _you…" _he paused and gestured to the rest of them, "…were in _my_ way. Morgana had used dark magic to enchant me back then and she meant for me to assassin Arthur. I was heading to face her and destroy her spell. I couldn't waist time playing games with you lot."

That left the knights actually looking apologetic.

* * *

><p>They rode in a hurry, keeping a close formation. In total they were twenty men, the King with some of his guards, Merlin and Arthur and the knights from the past. Andria had stayed behind with Gwen, to protect her and Camelot in case something went wrong. The search parties with the older knights were following Morgana, so hopefully they would reach them in time, if something went wrong.<p>

Their plan was simple. Attack while Lord Merlin was on the boat to the Isle with only a few guards and probably Morgana as well. They'd have the upper hand there, and with young Merlin with them too, they should be able to escape fairly unscathed. That is if everything were to go according to plan, which rarely happened.

While on the road, Arthur let his mind wonder for a bit, trying to picture in what kind of state the captured warlock would be when they rescue him. He dared not imagine his half sister torturing his friend, even if it was his future self. It pained him _still_ to think of his beloved Morgana as an evil, spiteful rival to the throne and now he couldn't even blame her being magic for that transformation. _No, it was hatred and fear. All my troubles seem to come down to that._

They rode all night, stopping only for a few minutes each time, for the horses to catch their breath. When the dawn came they entered the wildren infested caves, rubbing themselves with gaia-berries, while two of the King's guards took the horses around the caves, following a much longer path. If they were successful in rescuing Lord Merlin, they would meet them a few miles west from there.

Finally, by mid day, they were facing the lake. The Isle of the Blessed looked eerie, a dark place amidst sunny waters. Carefully, they approached the dock where the boatman was waiting patiently. If he caught sight of them he didn't show it.

They went in position; Merlin constructed another boat, using his magic, and covered it with leaves and logs. He then boarded along with Arthur. Arthur was wearing only a sturdy leather mail, in case he needed to jump into the water. Seen from afar, someone would mistakenly take them for a half-sank tree trunk. The King and his men, along with the young knights had scattered strategically around the dock, remaining hidden between trees and bushes the entire time.

And like this, they waited.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you liked it! Remember… reviews=love !<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: The Fight**

The sun was setting when their enemies finally arrived. The King was the first one to see them. He wasn't alerted by any sound, no. It looked more like he suddenly felt the urge to turn his head, expecting to find something in that direction. Like a link existed between him and his warlock, greater than their joined destinies. Friendship. The deepest, most soul binding, loyal kind of friendship, a bond forged through years of saving each other's lives and being there for one another.

The long procession of soldiers, escorting the three carriages slowly, came in clear view.

And there, on the first carriage, was the sacrifice.

It was a tall, metal contraption that held him there. Like a stake, but his hands were tied high above his head and not behind his back, keeping him hanging, barely touching the wood under his feet. Bright silver chains glistened in the last sunrays falling on the tormented body. He looked pale and had many marks mar his face and bare arms. His clothes were torn and full of dark stains, a clear sign of blood. But the worse were his eyes.

His eyes were _open._ He was actually awake and fully aware.

From his point of view, Arthur barely saw the captured warlock. He had just recognized a familiar form before he was hidden by the surrounding soldiers. But the look of disbelieve and utter fear that passed from Merlin's face told him all he needed to know of the direness of the man's predicament.

The long convoy stopped and Morgana stepped out of the second carriage. She wore a long black cloak that covered most of her other -also black- attire.

Walking triumphantly to the Court Sorcerer she raised her hand and uttered a spell. The contraption where Lord Merlin -_Emrys-_ was hanging from moved from the carriage and landed ungracefully on the boat. Morgana then joined in with four more men, filling the boat completely.

The lifting of his metal-binding caused a reaction from the captured man. He began twisting and fighting in his chains, in a vain effort to escape. Morgana responded at this with a cold laughter. Lord Merlin stilled and then his eyes flashed gold, causing the chains that held him to shake. Morgana wasn't laughing now. She threw him an icy glare and motioned to the boatman to set sail.

Merlin muttered a spell under his breath. It was to create an illusion to help them move as close as they could to their target. They waited until the other boat was far from the shore and then moved, with Arthur preparing for a jump. Their intent was for Merlin to at least distract Morgana for as long as he could, while Arthur was attempting to free the prisoner.

A few minutes passed until they finally got close enough. Merlin took a deep breath to prepare himself. _This is it_. He acted before he had time to think twice. This was the only way to save Lord Merlin.

He dropped the illusion when they came right next to Morgana's boat and immediately attacked her with a surge of magic force. So big was its power that it even managed to break the chain from which the captive hung, making him collapse. Arthur wasted no time, jumping into the other boat in a swift motion, hand holding out his sword. He grabbed the fragile form of Lord Merlin and it all happened so quickly that none of the other men had time to react. Arthur rose to his feet and readied to throw Lord Merlin on their boat.

He almost made it.

The blow came so suddenly that he didn't have time to hold on to Lord Merlin, letting the tortured man fall into the lake, some chains still around his beaten body. For a moment that seemed eternal, Arthur froze. Then coming quickly to his senses, he jumped in after him, diving and praying he would be able to see in the -now dark- waters.

The lake was cold as ice. He had an indescribable feeling of disorientation and the déjà vu of a dreadful, otherworldly darkness engulfing him. All of a sudden, the water around him lightened with an orange gold glow that originated from the surface.

Fire.

_Magic._

He saw a dark figure floating a little lower, and reached.

* * *

><p>Merlin didn't know what had happened to Arthur or Lord Merlin. He was too busy fighting off fireballs and flaming arrows from Morgana and her minions alike. He tried for his counteractions to be instinctive, to not think, just act, like he was told, while struggling not to lose his balance and fall in the black waters. He was doing quite well, until he felt an abrupt pain in his left shoulder and reached out to find he was struck by an arrow.<p>

It had come from the direction of the shore.

There, on the shore of the lake, King Arthur and the others were engaged in close combat, trying to destroy the enemy's soldiers. It looked like they were joined by many men in Camelot's colors, the knights' search parties coming to their aid. But the enemy's sorcerers where many and seemed to have conjured some short of dark creatures that attacked the knights, breaking their defenses slowly but steadily. Some enemy soldiers were aiming at Merlin on the boat, using their crossbows in an attempt to take him down. One obviously had hit his target.

Morgana saw her chance and reacted, throwing a bolt of ice at him, aimed to kill. He had no time to do anything but dive in the waters to avoid being hit. He rose to the surface, taking deep breaths. His vision had begun darkening from the blood loss from his wound and from all the exhaustion his excessive use of magic had caused him.

It ached him to think. He didn't want to believe it.

They had _failed_.

Darkness finally claimed him.

* * *

><p>He felt he was being pulled amidst panicked voices, a loud ring buzzing in his head, then dragged on a rocky surface and finally thrown on to something moving, a person. He started seeing again, dark motions and white flashes. He couldn't understand where the ground was. Over his head… underneath him… It was moving constantly.<p>

He passed out for a second time.

* * *

><p>When he woke up, it was almost dawn.<p>

"He's awake," he heard a voice, behind him.

"Merlin? Can you hear me?"

Arthur's voice.

Merlin sat up carefully. He took notice that his left shoulder was stiff, his arm bound tightly with a rough cloth. That's right, last night he was shot with an arrow. Last night… oh. _Oh_, _no_.

"Arthur…" he raised his eyes expecting to see his friend. However he was met with the older King, concern written clearly in his face. "Where's Arthur? Arthur… ARTHUR!" he started panicking…

"Try to be quiet, Merlin," came another familiar voice from behind. "You won't be helping anybody passing out again."

Sir Leon. He turned his head and looked at the men close to him. They were his friends, all the knights that came from the past with him, and the King. They all looked hurt in different degrees, nothing too serious though. But what unnerved him was their faces. They were masks of despair; they weren't even _trying_ to hide it.

"Leon? Where is Arthur? What… what happened?" Merlin dared ask, dreading the answer he knew he was bound to receive.

It was the King who answered.

"You were hit by an arrow… obviously. It was then that Morgana attacked, having the upper hand and threw you overboard. Luckily for you, Percival was already swimming at your direction, so when you reemerged he pulled you out of the lake. We were already retreating at this point. They had many sorcerers with them, more than we had originally expected. Even with the reinforcements that came to our aid, a solid twenty good men -three of them sorcerers- we couldn't defeat them. Not when Morgana started aiming us as well. We barely managed to escape with our lives."

Merlin was so pale by now; he could've been a ghost.

"What about Arthur…?" He all but whispered.

The King looked him in the eye. Merlin was shocked to see so much pain in his eyes -Arthur's eyes but not quite the same- and though he understood, he _needed_ to be told. To hear it.

"He's missing, Merlin. So is Lord Merlin ," said the King in a surprisingly straight, unwavering voice.

Merlin felt something catching in his throat.

"But… you're here! That means he's going to be fine_, you'll_ be fine! Doesn't it?" Merlin was aware that he sounded naïve, but couldn't help himself.

"For now, Merlin," said the King, his voice much smaller now. "But if something happens to him… I don't know. I'm afraid there won't be anything stopping me being lost in oblivion…"

* * *

><p><strong>Looking forward to your reviews! <strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thank you all for the reviews! They are very important to my self-esteem :)**

**Just to make it clear, when (young) Arthur talks to or thinks about old Merlin (aka Lord Merlin) **_**in the first part of this chapter**_**, he refers to him as Merlin.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: The Fallen Warrior<strong>

The cool breeze stroke his skin like a gentle caress. It reminded him of the time when he was twelve years old and was sick with whooping cough for a whole week. He was nursed by an army of maids and a fussing Morgana, who insisted she would be the one applying the cold compresses on his forehead and forcing horribly tasting remedies down his throat.

Morgana, his sister.

The traitor.

Arthur opened his eyes then, slowly adjusting to the dim light coming from a small opening on the wall to his left. Though it was roughly mid day, he was sitting in shadows. It took him a moment to realize he was in some sort of a cell. It was partly destroyed; the wall opposite him was crumbled down to debris and rocks all the way to the ceiling. In contrast to the rest of the room, there was a sturdy looking wooden door on his right hand side. Arthur suspected magic might have something to do with its perfect condition.

The smell of moss and mould burned through his nostrils. He got on his feet slowly and tried to take a step forward, but found himself tied to the wall. Funny, he didn't even feel the chain around his ankle until he actually saw it. His hands were left untied but –from the little he could see- there was nothing around him he could use to break free. Was he injured? He couldn't tell for certain… His whole body ached. He reached for his sword and dagger, knowing it was a long shot but daring to hope none the less. _Gone, of course_. He sighed loudly and then jumped abruptly nearly falling to his knees when he heard something moving to his left.

He stared at the small bundle of… something… he hadn't noticed before, lying there in the shadows beside him, when it suddenly moved again. He reached for it and realized it was alive. A man.

Memories of last night swept through his mind. The cold water, the soundless battle from above, the flames, the drowning man. The one they came to save… Merlin.

Gingerly he held the man close to him, and turned to really _look_ at him for the first time.

His hands and legs were bound loosely with thin silver chains again, probably to suppress his magic. He was covered in bruises and blood, with patches of pale skin in between. He had dark circles around his eyes, one clearly the result of a blow, the other probably from exhaustion. He was thankfully asleep this time. He looked frail, small, though Arthur noted the man was in fact less skinny than his younger version, evidence of his now distinguished status in court, in contrast with his old one as a manservant. The clothes that were stained and worn were of fine quality and he had something around his neck. An amulet.

Arthur tucked the chain until he grabbed the small golden disk. It was engraved, an animal. A bird, a… merlin. His sigil then_, how fitting_.

He dropped it immediately to focus on the man himself when the sorcerer made a small sound.

The tortured man blinked and then carefully turned his eyes to look at him.

"Arthur…"

His voice was broken, but yet serene, the sound of a man accepting his fate, having given up hope. Arthur's eyes began to sting.

"Yeah…" he answered, his voice catching in his throat. "Yes… it's me, Merlin."

The broken warlock closed his eyes then, and Arthur saw tears breaking from his shut eyelids.

"I'm glad it's you," Lord Merlin whispered, the corners of his mouth twitching into a faint smile.

The tight knot in Arthur's throat prevented him from answering. He felt something hot on his cheek. He touched the side of his face and whipped a single tear away.

Lord Merlin opened his eyes again, looking right at him. He didn't seem like he could actually focus on Arthur, but he tried anyway.

"What is this…? Are you _crying_, Sire? Wow, I really _must_ be dying then…" he joked quietly. Arthur let out a bitter laugh.

Did the man even realize that it wasn't King Arthur that he was talking to? Couldn't he see the difference?

Perhaps he wasn't the King _this_ Merlin knew for so many years… In the end though, did it even matter? He _was_ Merlin after all, and it _was _Arthur he was talking to. His best friend. His _brother_.

_Damn it, Merlin! I'll take you out of here, if it's the last thing I'll ever do. _

The weakened body in his arms went limp again.

Arthur tried to take in everything. He struggled to take a deep breath, achieving only something between a sigh and a half smothered sob. He didn't move, didn't make a sound, he just listened, using the warlock's light breathing as an anchor to calm him, an ongoing evidence of the tormented man remaining alive.

Surrounded by silence, he began to notice a soft noise in the background, something acute to humming. He paid attention for a while, trying to distinguish the sound, when it finally dawned on him that he was hearing voices. People talking, no, _chanting_. Though he couldn't understand the words, Arthur realized what he was hearing was clearly an incantation.

The ritual. He had almost forgotten. He gazed upon the sleeping man again, and the strongest urge to _protect_ overcame him. He needed to get him out of that place, but first out of that cell. He needed a plan.

He had not time to muse over it though, for suddenly the door on his right was being unlocked. He waited wearily, a growing feeling of anger and –surprisingly- pity gnawing inside him, as he saw that it was Morgana who stepped into the cell, a torch in her hand which she placed on a metal prop on the wall.

Now that he could observe her from a closer distance, he could tell that his sister had definitely aged. She was still beautiful -as beautiful as her hatred would ever allow her to be anyway-, though her face was beginning to show slight wrinkles around the eyes and on her forehead. She regarded him with curious eyes for a moment, and then moved even closer. Taking notice of Lord Merlin lying on his lap, she smiled in an unnerving manner that sent chills down Arthur's spine.

"I always knew you were strangely _fond_ of him. Now my suspicions are confirmed…"

Arthur spat at her feet, wiping the smirk of her face in almost an instant.

"So _hot-tempered_, my young Arthur. You should learn to never insult your betters," she hissed and with that her eyes glowed and Arthur found himself shoved at the wall behind him with full force. He heard a bang when his head connected with the cold stones, and his eyesight flashed for a moment. His head was hurting so much he nearly didn't hear her next statement.

"What a pathetic little man you always were, Arthur Pendragon. Thinking you could outsmart _me_. Ambushing my men with your silly little band of _commoners_. I suppose good-_old_ Artie was there as well, couldn't actually see him between all the smoke and the fire and stuff…," she smirked again. "And sending this _infant-_Merlin to stop me was rather insulting. And I mean for dear _Lord_ Merlin here, as well as myself. So… untrained, weak." She laughed again. "Such a shame really."

She crouched, eyes glowing again as she spoke a few words, making Arthur stiff in his place, unmoving. She ignored him, looking at the fragile form in his arms. She gently held her hand up and touched the warlock's face. Her fingers caressed his bloodied cheekbone. He was oddly calm in his sleep, the little sunlight that came through the small window cell giving him an otherworldly glow. He looked more magic than human at that moment.

"Emrys's magic will soon be my own… You'll see." she whispered; her tone suggesting she wasn't addressing Arthur at all. The look in her eyes was almost… reverent. It made Arthur feel disgusted.

And then she got up and left the room, not even sparing another glance at neither of the prisoners.

As soon as they were alone again, Arthur found himself able to move. His head was throbbing but he ignored it in order to check upon the older man, and was surprised to see he was awake. Lord Merlin seemed to be trying to concentrate really hard, looking right at him, eyes full of awareness. The warlock's irises flashed golden then, his silver chains screeching like a dying animal, and then Arthur was startled to find he wasn't in so much pain anymore. Lord Merlin's eyes turned into their familiar blue again and then rolled in his head, passing out once more.

* * *

><p>The small group wandered in the woods around the lake. They weren't being hunted any more. Their enemies had given up hours ago, and were now guarding the lone dock at the shore.<p>

Only fifteen of their men remained relatively unharmed, while Morgana's men were twice that number, most of them sorcerers.

Merlin hadn't said a word after his talk with the King earlier. His mind was reeling.

Every spell he had ever learned, every type of magic he had ever mastered, were repeated over and over again, in search for a solution.

_But you have the solution. Instinctive magic, that's what Andria was trying to teach you._

But he had already lost once. When the time had come, he couldn't do it. While facing his adversaries in training, he was calm and prepared. He knew he would be successful. When he had gone against the witch though, after being injured by an arrow, he had panicked, didn't know what to do. And in his panic, he had failed them all. Merlin sighed for what seemed to be the hundredth time since he regained his consciousness. This truly wasn't the Morgana he knew_. She was by far a superior sorceress than her older self... _

He was startled from his thoughts by the older Gwaine, who pointed at the King. King Arthur looked very serious, preparing for some sort of announcement. Merlin found himself discouraged by the look in his eyes. A look nearly mad of concern and pain.

"Alright, here is what we know. We can't attack them on the shore anymore. They have every advantage, greater numbers, many crossbows; their sorcerers even lifted barriers for their protection. No, we have to find a way to get to the Isle. Their numbers there are significantly less. We go there, free our friends and flee the isle before they alert the rest of their party on shore… It's the only chance we have," He said, sounding a lot more confident that he probably felt, in Merlin's opinion. The King looked like he was making an effort to keep himself from falling apart.

He met his eyes.

"Merlin… Do you think you could… I don't know; make a boat or two to carry us over, perhaps a big shaft? You'll have to keep them concealed of course… I understand it will be difficult because of the daylight but we cannot wait for darkness to fall. We've wasted precious hours already…" King Arthur asked.

Merlin nodded determinately in a silent confirmation.

"Good," The King said, sounding surer this time. "Anyone who does not wish to come may stay here with the wounded. If we haven't returned until tomorrow morning, they are to head back to Camelot."

Nobody moved.

The king smiled faintly and started for the shore.

* * *

><p><strong>So, what do you think? Liked it?<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you for your support! You are amazing :D**

**On with the fic….**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11: The Ritual<strong>

It had to be just before sunset, as far as Arthur could tell. The deep golden light coming from the small window made the particles of dust in the room shine, a strange dance that had an almost calming effect on the imprisoned king. The soft chanting hadn't stopped at any time during the day. Nobody else had come to check on them, or give them food and water.

Lord Merlin was sleeping peacefully. After he healed Arthur's wound -Arthur still hadn't figured out how or why- he had passed out, remaining unconscious for a few hours. Those hours were unbearable for the younger man. He wasn't able to tell if the other would live or die, if Lord Merlin in a final act of duty had achieved what Arthur perceived as the man's goal in life, to give his life for his king. Troubled by all these kind of questions and with an unresponsive warlock in his arms, Arthur was feeling useless and very much alone.

After some time though, the other man had started to show signs of improvement. Some slight movement of the arms, a light groan, not much, but enough to ease Arthur's mind. Finally able to set aside his worry about Merlin's life, he began thinking of possible ways to escape, but soon realized they wouldn't stand a chance. The chain around his leg looked brand new and unyielding, and Lord Merlin's chains, though loosely bound, were clearly magical. They had no way to break loose from their confinements. _Not yet anyway, but perhaps when they come to take their prey for the rite…_ So he waited, brooding in silence, hoping, planning, despairing and praying to any god who might listen for some much needed guidance and assistance.

When Lord Merlin eventually came around, Arthur tried talking to him. The older man was in no state to speak, very much drained of power -both mental and physical - , but he seemed to understand that Arthur was addressing him.

"Keep fighting, Merlin. Don't you give up. We'll get through this. I'll get you out of here… You'll be back in the castle, _polishing my armor in no time_…"

The indignant look on the other man's face was so… _Merlin_, that for an infinitesimal moment Arthur _forgot_. He forgot that this was an older Merlin, forgot that they were being held prisoners and were probably soon to be executed -_in the future-_ and a nostalgic, fond smile formed in his lips.

But then he glanced down again, in the other man's eyes. This time, Lord Merlin had definitely recognized Arthur for what he was, a figure from the warlock's past, not the current King of Camelot. However, from the way he _looked_ at the younger man, and the tears Arthur could see forming in his eyes, he probably believed Arthur wasn't real, just a figment of his imagination, a way for his mind to take comfort in his last hours_. He must think I'm a ghost from his past, here to keep him company until the end. _

Merlin's _end_. The mere thought left Arthur wrecked. He felt he betrayed his friend by simply acknowledging the possibility of his demise... Somehow –well, by magic obviously- Merlin had always made it through, survived even when the chances were slim. It seemed absurd to even suggest that he would not make it this time. _Merlin is tough. He _will_ survive. He has to… _

That was until he remembered the weak state in which the warlock was. In that moment, he didn't _look_ tough to Arthur… No. His abused body and restrained magic left him looking shuttered, destroyed.

Arthur held him closer, bringing his friend in a tight hug, afraid of what would happen if he were to let him go.

It was like this that they found them when they came for Merlin, not long after the sun had set.

They snatched Lord Merlin from his tight grip, while Arthur screamed and fought them in vain.

To his surprise, he was also dragged behind the limp form of the warlock, his hands bound behind his back with a quick spell from one of his captors. Camelot's -currently unconscious- Court Sorcerer was carried by two sorcerers and surrounded by two more_. Even like _this_ they are afraid of him_, Arthur realized.

They stepped outside into the clear night. Arthur struggled to look up, and saw the stars burning a beautiful white light, leaving the surface of the earth faintly glowing. In the middle of the ruined castle's courtyard he could see a large ring of hooded figures. The sound of the spell being cast was coming louder from that direction. After a rough counting, Arthur estimated there had to be at least fifteen sorcerers taking part in the ritual and as much as he tried to, he couldn't recognize his sister's form in any of them. He didn't know if he should be happy about it or not.

Closing in, the circle of sorcerers broke for them to enter. There was a marble altar in the center, white with dark stains marring its smooth surface. After removing his chains, Lord Merlin was led down on top of it.

_Merlin's deathbed_, Arthur shivered at the thought.

The man who held the young king forced him to his knees, ordering him to stay down. Arthur's eyes wandered around frantically. This was his final chance. He searched for an opening in their lines, a weakness, a weapon, anything… He wasn't looking for long when the men surrounding him parted once more, revealing a graceful figure dressed in black approaching the altar. There could be no doubt in his mind as to who that was.

Morgana's attention was focused on Lord Merlin and him alone, as she walked to the center. When she reached him, she stood over Merlin's head, spreading her arms wide and joining the rest in casting the enchantment.

Over and over again they went, repeating the words in the Language of the Old Religion …

"_**Mægen æt se eorð folde, gifeðe gelong se ge-sceaft, Emrys,**_

_**Beon min.**_

_**Gram mægen æt eorð folde, gelong se offrung, bewindan min,**_

_**Beon min.**_

_**Mægen beon min."**_

The words now echoed loud in the courtyard, and kept rising and rising, never ending. All of a sudden, Lord Merlin opened his eyes, a golden light shining in them. He gasped in agony before starting to shake uncontrollably, hitting his flying arms and legs on the hard surface of the altar. He let out an unearthly scream, the magic in his eyes burning like fire, uncontrollable and dangerous, ready to burst and consume everything. And then, just as quickly as it begun, it all came to an end. The warlock shut his eyes, seeming in command of his body once more. His damp forehead indicated the level of concentration he needed in order to _hold it together_, to not come apart.

Morgana's eyes went wide with awe, as she held out her hand unable to sustain her eagerness much longer. She obviously craved for the power that was lying beneath the man's skin. He _was_ Emrys, the creature of legends and prophecies. Her destiny and doom.

While the others continued the spell, the witch lowered her hand to touch the warlock's head.

* * *

><p>Merlin was carefully letting the illusion fade. The boats were fairly afar from the shore, and it was already dark, but the anxious warlock didn't want to take any chances of them being spotted.<p>

They reached the Isle of the Blessed unbothered by their enemies, and went ashore near some fallen ruins, some sort of ancient temple. On the Isle, the grounds seemed much darker. Slowly they made their way to the main castle. Merlin's shoulder was already better thanks to a nifty healing spell one of the Silver Guard's members had cast upon him. _Just as well, I can't afford to make any more mistakes, and an injured limp is bound to cause me all kinds of trouble… _

They walked in the shadows, until a faint light in the distance informed them of the whereabouts of the enemy sorcerers.

King Arthur signaled his Knights of the Round Table and the rest of his men to follow him. They surveyed the area, discovering five guards in the vicinity. Quietly the king took out his dagger and approached the one closest to their group. The man fell to the ground without a sound. Taking his example, the older Sirs Gwaine, Percival and Leon took out the rest of the guards easily. The security on the Isle wasn't as high as the shores. Morgana had probably chosen to leave most of her forces behind.

They heard voices coming from the courtyard, volume gradually rising. Merlin shivered when he realized what they were. Magic was being cast. Could it be they were too late? Was his older self already dead? And what about Arthur…

The King interrupted his panicked thoughts, demanding his attention as he gestured for all of them to approach the site of the ritual. Merlin tried to let go of his fear and concentrate on his task. They had to take Arthur and Lord Merlin back, and _he_ had to amend for his mistake. He could and he _would_ defeat the witch this time.

When they had a clear view of the court yard, they were confronted with a sight they were bound to remember for as long as they lived. _Well, at least those of us who won't have their memories erased…_ It was a large circle of men, kneeling and chanting, gathered around a bloodied altar, on top of which laid Emrys himself, _the sacrifice, _as they called him using the Old Tongue_._

Morgana was already in some kind of trance, standing above Emrys's head, her hands on either side of his face, keeping his eyes forcibly open with her fingers. Her eyes were golden, focused on his, never wavering. Lord Merlin was unmoving and yet seemed to be struggling with all his might, trying to win a battle of minds and wills.

And he was clearly losing.

Merlin had to act, and act _fast_.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I promise there will be more action in the next chapter … If you liked it let me know! **

**Here is the spell's translation; I apologize to anyone who can actually understand old English, because this is a very amateur effort from my part.**

_**Mægen æt se eorð folde, gifeðe gelong se ge-sceaft, Emrys**__= Power from the earth, granted by fate, belonging to the creature, Emrys_

_**Beon min**__ = Be mine._

_**Gram mægen æt eorð folde, gelong se offrung, bewindan min**__ = Fierce power from earth, belonging to the sacrifice, envelop me_

_**Beon min. Mægen beon min**__ .= Be mine. Power be mine._


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thank you all for your support! As I promised, here is some action…**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: The siblings' duel<strong>

Arthur trembled on his knees, couldn't do anything other than watch as the final part of the ritual was being set in place. His eyes never left Morgana, who in her trance-like state looked even more intimidating and dangerous than before. He audibly gasped when he saw her raising one hand, the other one still clutched on the lying warlock's forehead, holding a stone decorated silver dagger. _No, it can't be the time of the sacrifice… Not yet!_

He felt desperate, a chocking feeling rising in his throat_._ Worse of all, Lord Merlin looked like he had stopped fighting his fate, all power seeming to had left him. He just lay there, unmoving and pale, looking for all the world like he was already dead._ I cannot just stand here and do nothing while Morgana kills…_ he paused mid thought, because he suddenly realized his hands were loose, nearly free. Doubting his enemies would be stupid enough to no longer consider him a threat, Arthur came to the only logical conclusion. That someone had set him free, using magic. Help had arrived at last.

He scanned the area around him. The sorcerers surrounding the altar were on their knees, heads low, praying for the rite to be completed. No one seemed to notice anything was amiss.

As the ritual closed to its final act, Morgana raised the dagger over Lord Merlin's heart, holding it with both hands now, its blade gleaming in the pale starlight.

Arthur couldn't waste time to think, he just acted instinctively. With a deafening roar, he shot forwards, attacking his sister from the side, tackling her to the ground, his hand going to her wrists. For a single moment, all sound disappeared, as everyone around them held their breath in shock.

A second after that, all hell broke loose.

Arthur focused on Morgana, struggling to remove the dagger from her tight grasp. His fingers were bleeding from the shallow cuts she had managed him, but he succeeded in knocking it off. At that same moment, the witch let out an angry scream and shoved him off her with a surge of magic, sending him flying over a distance.

All around the altar the battle was raging. Many of the enemy sorcerers were turned towards one direction, from which they were being relentlessly attacked by countless massive fire balls, lightings and whirlwinds. Arthur shakily rose to his feet and for a moment he saw a disheveled young Merlin blasting away his attackers with a powerful spell. Other sorcerers were clashing with a group of knights, swords and lights dancing in between them. It looked like there were one or two magic users helping Camelot's forces, because some of the knights were being shielded. Arthur run to join them, grabbing a sword one of the knights -Sir _Leon_- threw at him and almost immediately shoved it in one of his enemy's chest.

More men came from within the ruined castle; most of them looking like simple soldiers. Arthur and the knights began disposing them immediately.

Morgana's anger was palpable. She was still on the ground, amidst all the fighting and screaming, searching for her dagger. When she eventually found it, she turned again to face the altar, not caring about the fate of her followers. She was too far gone, all logical thought abandoned… The only thing that mattered to her was completing the ritual, claiming Emrys' ultimate power. She picked up from where she was before being interrupted; her dagger was raised in triumph and then driven into Lord Merlin's chest.

It didn't have the chance to pierce skin though, because the witch was attacked from behind. She screeched in agony reaching to press her right side with her free hand, blood pouring freely from the deep wound she had suffered. Her eyes turned to gold as she tried to fight her attacker, who was none other than King Arthur himself, but his sword stood again in the way. He used the sword's blade to repel the spell she sent his way. Its shining metal absorbed the magical fire she had thrown at him hungrily. As he readied his weapon to strike once again, the King's expression was that of pure determination combined with piercing rage. For a moment Morgana's eyes showed true fear for the man that was her brother. He swiftly raised the sword and charged at her again.

She managed to block the hit, quickly raising a shield, but the King did not relent. He pushed harder and managed to drive the sword forward, slicing the magical barrier and causing his sister to clumsily fall backwards. Her hands grabbed at a fallen sword and brought it up in time to bloke another one of King Arthur's deadly attacks. She muttered a quick spell that dealt the man a blow in the chest, leaving him momentarily breathless.

King Arthur's face was now a mask of fury. He stared hard in her eyes, contempt and pain swarming in his gaze. Their swords clashed again and again until Morgana's blade yielded, shattering in a loud shriek, surrendering to the other sword's superiority.

The witch fell back, calling on her magic to form yet another shield to protect her and give her time to regroup.

Her plans failed because as soon as the shield was conjured it was struck by a ball of white energy. She turned her head and came face to face with a determent-looking young Merlin. The young warlock raised his hand towards her, ready to attack. But the blow didn't come from him.

No, it was the King who, with a smooth motion, held his blade up against her throat.

His eyes were fixed, staring coldly at the thin red line that formed were the sword pressed on her slender neck. Morgana was shocked, holding her breath and waiting for her brother to pass judgment.

As the King spoke, the sword's pressure increased slightly. The witch flinched from the stinging pain.

"It's over, Morgana. You have failed once more. You don't _deserve_ it, but I'm giving you _one _last chance, for old times' sake. Leave now. Take what's left of your men with you. And don't you _dare_ bother me, my family or my kingdom ever again…" He spat.

The turmoil was clear in King Arthur's eyes, an inner battle still taking place. What he wanted to do, what he should do and what he had to do were still clashing with what he ended up doing.

Morgana on the other hand seemed to have made her decision. She lifted her chin in an attempt to look imposing, while she spoke in a forced manner, addressing all her subjects.

"Retreat! It's over… I order you all to withdraw." Her eyes glowed, sealing her words with magic.

One by one, the surviving sorcerers started to draw back, heading for the shores of the Isle. Two of them, _the most powerful_ Merlin guessed, disappeared amidst small whirlwinds of magic. Many lay already dead in the courtyard. The young warlock stared at the defeated witch before him. Morgana looked exhausted in addition to being wounded. With a glare full of hatred, she cried a teleportation spell of her own, vanishing in a flash of deep red light.

As the knights tried to hunt down the fleeing enemy forces, the King hurried towards the lying form on the altar. The broken man lay there unmoving; his white skin a contrast to the bruises and the red lines of blood coming out of his nose and ears. His eyes were closed.

Arthur approached the pair slowly, briefly acknowledging that Merlin had joined him on his way there. His manservant reached and put a hand on his shoulder, in a simple gesture of reunion. Arthur understood his friend was content that the other was safe.

"Merlin?" they heard the voice of the King addressing his Court Sorcerer.

Lord Merlin didn't move.

"Merlin… Open your eyes. It's me."

Nothing.

King Arthur shook his best friend's body, stubbornly refusing to give up. When he addressed him again, the king's voice was shacking with emotion.

"_Merlin_! Wake up, you lazy, incompetent… fool of a sorc…" he was silenced by the sudden shift in the lying man's frame. Relief washed over the King's face as he released the breath he was apparently holding for some time.

The warlock's eyes opened slowly, and King Arthur smiled.

Lord Merlin recognized him immediately.

"Took you long enough, _you prat_…"

* * *

><p><strong>Remember to review :D<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Ok… So first of all, thank you all for being AWESOME! I really appreciate your dedication to the story. It is my first fic, actually my first attempt to write anything -in English no less!- and knowing that you like it makes me very happy :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13: A hero's welcome<strong>

Lord Merlin was being carried to the boat by Sir Percival, awake yet not nearly strong enough to walk. He hadn't said anything else after speaking a few words of assurance to King Arthur and had nodded slightly in greeting when he saw his younger self alongside the young Arthur. Their trip to the shores seemed very short, and soon they were at the now abandoned dock. It seemed that all of Morgana's men had been willing to obey her command of retreat. King Arthur laughed lightheartedly when he took notice of their horses and the two knights he had instructed to guard them waiting for the group on the edge of the forest. They had joined the injured members of their original party that had remained behind. Now they had a way to travel quickly back to Camelot. It seemed like their ordeal was finally over.

Merlin mounted his horse and watched in amusement as the knights tried to lift the weak Lord Merlin to another. His eyes flashed gold and the older warlock was placed on his saddle, turning and smiling politely at his younger self for the courtesy.

Merlin sank deep in thought as they rode. While the battle hadn't lasted long, his part in it seemed rather small actually. No big elemental magic had been required from him, and though some of the sorcerers he had faced were very powerful, he didn't actually confront Morgana. Not really. Merlin felt that perhaps Gaius and Andria were wrong about him being sent in future to defeat Morgana. Both Arthur and he had played an important role, undoubtedly, but it hadn't felt crucial. It was King Arthur -in Merlin's own opinion- that had defeated the witch.

He glanced back at _his_ king, the younger Arthur, who looked a bit overwhelmed by the past events. Merlin thought of all his friend had to endure with after he was crowned king. He _really _had grown in mind, had matured, had found a way to base his opinion not only on what his councilors, advisers and knights said but on his heart's beliefs as well. And it was _that_ man that had easily accepted his magic, and had ridded Merlin of a burden of lies and secrets. _Shame neither of us will remember a thing after we return… At least I hope the feeling will stay deep in my heart, the assurance that one day it will all work out._

Arthur met his eyes then, and smiled at him, a genuine smile of happiness, that was soon followed by the remark that the young warlock looked like a frizzled rabbit. Merlin let his magic answer for him and smack Arthur lightly on the head.

"Ow! MERLIN!"

* * *

><p>It was a while later that evening when the King finally deigned to admit that they wouldn't reach the borders before nightfall and ordered they set camp. Most of the men were completely worn out from the past events and fell asleep on the spot. Merlin was taking care of his older self, using both his magic and his knowledge as a physician. Some of Lord Merlin's wounds were infected, so he had to apply the salve Gaius gave them before their departure. The younger Knights of the Round Table kindly volunteered for guard duty, claiming they were in much better fit than their older selves. And that was how Arthur ended up sitting on a log near the camp fire, thinking over his past ordeal, while pretending to be cleaning his –previously stolen by Morgana's men but reclaimed by an agitated Merlin- sword.<p>

The sound of footsteps behind him alerted him to the King's approach. He looked up and watched as the older man slowly sat beside him.

There were a few minutes of content silence._ Huh! I really am at peace with myself... _

The king moved his hand to take Arthur's sword.

"I remember this sword. It was a good one… Reliable." He waved it in a small circle. His eyes were lost in memories.

"Yes. I noticed you carry another sword. Quite… _intriguing_ actually. "

"Mmm… yes you could say that. It is my most cherished possession."

Arthur was impressed. "When will I acquire such an item?"

The King looked at him, very amused by Arthur's question. "Patience, _oh young one_… You'll get it soon enough…"

Arthur understood he wasn't going to extract any more information on that matter from the King, so he dared to ask something else.

"Your Knights… Back in Camelot you called them the _Knights of the Round Table. _I wonder… Is it like the one from before… back at the ancient castle?"

"It was where I got the idea from," King Arthur replies. "A council of worthy men, all having equal say in the matters of state. All for the better service of the people of Albion." King Arthur's expression was one of pride, not of himself -Arthur realized- but for his allies and friends who constituted this great council.

Arthur understood. "It sounds very… noble."

The King chuckled. "It is, actually."

Arthur changed the subject abruptly. It was something that bothered him for a while, he simply _had_ to ask.

"Why did you let her go?"

The mirth vanished from the King's face.

Arthur continued. "I mean, she _is_ a traitor. To her own blood no less. And a murderer. Why? Why didn't you just…?"

The King sighed. "I know. Believe me, Arthur, I know what she is. Yes, she is a traitor, a murderer. _Ruthless and without remorse, a bane to your existence_, that's what the dragon called her before he left…"

Arthur's eyes widened when he heard that last part. "Dragon? The _Great_ Dragon?" The King nodded in agreement.

Arthur remembered what little Merlin had told him -not two days before- about the whole dragon-dragonlord business, something about destiny and old prophesies. He also remembered the look on his friend's face when he spoke of his deceased father, Balinor.

"Wait, wait, wait… but Merlin is a dragonlord. So even now, in this future-Camelot, he probably could command the beast, isn't that right?" he asked frowning.

"Yes… I see where you're going with this, Arthur. You want to know why we haven't asked Merlin to call for the dragon's assistance with our predicament. As much as that would have been useful, it wasn't possible. The dragons left this land almost a year ago, in search of a new nesting ground. Last time Merlin contacted Kilgharrah he was far away up north. They wouldn't have come in time to help us. We only had a few days. Lady Andria has already told this to your Merlin, he wasn't happy hearing it either…"

"What..." Arthur paused, not knowing if he should continue. He hadn't missed the plural, and he wondered if there were more than one dragons and why Merlin hadn't told him anything about it. He should ask his warlock, when he had the chance. Then Arthur remembered that he was bound to forget it all anyway. The thought made him surprisingly sad. He hadn't had the time to think about it - too busy trying not to die and save Lord Merlin-, but he suddenly realized that he wouldn't remember anything he had learned these past few days. Merlin, in Arthur's eyes, would become his idiotic manservant once again. Would be forced to lie to him, to remain hidden in the shadows. An unsung hero. Well, obviously at some point he will eventually tell Arthur the truth. _Again_.

The younger man dropped his gaze to the ground near the fire and moved his foot to nudge at a rock near the hearth. There was no point in brooding about it, if nothing could be done to change it. "So… the dragon warned you about her before he left."

The King chose not to commend on Arthur's previous pause, though he looked like he could follow Arthur's trail of thoughts easily.

"Yes. But understand this, Arthur. Indeed Morgana is all those things. She deserves punishment. But though I try … I cannot find it in my heart to execute this punishment. For she is, even after all she has done, to me and to you, a sister by blood. She may not be my family now, but she once was. And maybe if things had been different, if I had done something, she would have been still. I guess I still see her… failure being partly my fault."

Arthur closed his eyes, tired. He understood that well.

So many variants to consider. What if one thing hadn't happened or another had… He really _was_ tired, didn't want to think any more.

"Thanks for the company. I think I'll try to get some sleep," He said and stood up, walked towards Merlin and the older warlock, to find a bedroll and silently lay down besides the two men.

* * *

><p>By midday they reached their destination. The tired party made its way through the streets of the lower town, gradually slowing down while people gathered around them. The crowd grew, voices shouting in welcoming joy for the return of their King and his men. <em>Word must have gotten round then<em>, Arthur thought absentmindedly.

He saw the crowd ahead of them parting, revealing Lady Andria and the Queen followed by some of the knights in their red capes.

Andria swiftly made her way towards Lord Merlin, who had dismounted his horse and had managed to stand on his feet, albeit with the help of Sirs Percival and Gwaine.

"My Lord!" she reached and gently cupped his cheek, and those closer to the reuniting pair pretended not to see the tears in her relieved eyes. She moved to hold him steadily, gesturing to the others that she would manage from then on. Then her eyes went gold and Lord Merlin's posture straightened slightly, seeming more at ease. The older man gave her a shy smile of gratitude, and let her guide him inside.

Arthur stared as the two sorcerers walked slowly towards the palace entrance. The people in the streets moved out of their path in respect, some even lowering their heads. A small girl slipped from her mother's care and hurried to catch them. When Lady Andria stopped and regarded her with curiosity, the girl dropped her eyes shyly and then, before anyone had time to react, she hugged Lord Merlin's legs tightly. Everywhere around, Arthur could hear the pleasant surprise and approval to the sweet, innocent gesture.

While the girl's mother was trying to pry her from the clearly exhausted and maybe a little embarrassed warlock, Arthur caught a glimpse of another woman, an older white-haired wriggled creature that was slowly walking away from the spectacle. What made him notice her though was the look of disgust on her face, one which could only be taken as a clear disapproval to the girl's show of affection. _It makes sense come to think of it_. There were bound to be people not accepting magic in Camelot still. _Nine years are a lot of time but twenty five are even longer. _

When she moved out of his sight, Arthur decided not to spend any more thoughts on her. He got off his horse and called for Merlin to join him, while he made his way to the stables.

* * *

><p>The hunched form of the woman turned into a darker ally. It was a dead end, blocked by the castle's walls which were looming above the small wooden houses that constituted this part of the town. There was a small iron door where the walls met the ground, which looked like one of the older, now unused and therefore sealed, servant entries. The old woman placed her hand on the lock, muttered some incomprehensible words and the door screeched open.<p>

She stepped inside the castle, disappearing into the shadows...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hehehe… who could that be, I wonder…? **

**About the dragons-issue, I decided not to include them due to the 4x13 finale. Not sure by whose side Aithusa should be at this point… **

**That's all for now… Hope you liked it. Remember to review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi there! Again, thank you all for the lovely reviews :D I should tell you that I'm in the middle of my exams so from now on the updates will be every two or three days… Sorry.**

**Well, here is chapter 14!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14: A realization <strong>

Back in the Court Sorcerer's chambers, Lord Merlin, was eating a hot meal while resting in bed and being fussed over by Andria and Gaius. Having his ward back, finally out of danger, made the Court Physician shine with joy and relief. Lord Merlin was almost completely healed now. The scratches and gashes that used to decorate his skin now looked weeks-old scars and faint bruises. However, he still looked tired and in dire need of rest. The wounds on his body may have been treated but the torment his magic had gone through, the huge amount of power that had been forced out of his magical core was yet to be replenished. He could barely move on his own, too tired to speak more than a few words at a time.

Merlin and Arthur were watching from the sidelines, Arthur seated behind a small desk in the corner of the room, while his manservant paced back and forth in front of him, in a rare demonstration of unease. It didn't escape Arthur's notice that the young warlock was regarding Lady Andria, an indecipherable expression on his face, while she tried to feed the tired older Merlin another spoonful of soup. Lord Merlin protested, deciding he had enough coddling for one day and shut his mouth, shaking his head like a stubborn five year old. It all resulted of course in the plate turning over and Camelot's Court Sorcerer being drenched in steaming hot turnip-soup.

Andria looked criminally smug as she muttered a spell to clean the sulking warlock's clothes.

Gaius was regarding the pair with fondness.

"Now my boy, you are lucky to be alive, you know that. It will take time to heal, so just finish your meal like a good lad and take this afterwards. It will allow you to fall asleep peacefully. You will need time to restore your strength," he said as he placed a small vial containing a dark fluid on the bedside table.

"We should leave him to rest. King Arthur has summoned a council to hear the reports from the other knights as well as yours from Camelot, Andria. You can't leave your King waiting, no matter what your heart says..." he added as he headed to the door. The young sorceress blushed at his remark and got up silently to follow him, but not before she shot another concerned look towards the man on the bed. Lord Merlin shot her a smile in return, which caused her cheeks to darken even more.

Arthur and Merlin looked at each other, the latter shifting uncomfortably on the spot. Arthur in a moment of magnanimity decided not to pester his manservant about the obvious signs of attraction the fair Lady showed towards the boy's older version. _I'll let it slip this once. Now who's the prat, _Mer_lin?_

Instead he chose to observe Lord Merlin, silently reflecting on the other man's appearance, comparing the two Merlins before him. The older man was indeed slightly heavier than his younger self, his face a bit more full, and his shoulders a little broader. His black hair had actually begun to turn grey at his temples, even if he was only thirty three. _Must be all the anxiety and the responsibilities he now carries…_ Though come to think of it, the young Merlin had a lot on his plate as well.

Indeed the older warlock still looked like a mess from his past ordeal, but underneath it all, he had the appearance of a nobleman. _No wonder Lady Andria can't hold herself… wait, WHAT am I thinking! Ew… That's disgusting. _Arthur shook his head, it was indeed _disgusting_.

"Come, Merlin, we should leave as well… there will be plenty of time to talk to his _lordship_ after he regains his vigor."

The older man was almost drowsing, but after hearing Arthur he opened his eyes, raised an eyebrow and addressed both of the younger men.

"Before you go, I should thank you for everything you've done, Merlin." He was having difficulty speaking, voice soft and quiet. "Arthur's right, I need to sleep. I'll take the potion Gaius gave me…it works wonders," another pause for breath. "And thanks for that healing spell, it really made a difference. My magic is… still a bit numb from the ritual. It will take some time for it to be back to normal."

Merlin smiled sheepishly at his older self. They hadn't had the chance to speak properly yet. This was the longest he had heard the man addressing him. It made him oddly shy. This wasn't just him older; this was _Emrys_, the great sorcerer, what Merlin hoped –and now knew- he would one day become.

Arthur took the chance to manhandle the stalling young warlock towards the exit. Before closing the door behind him Arthur saw the man drinking the potion.

* * *

><p>When they reached the council room, the knights had already finished reporting. The Queen was there, along with Lady Isolde and some other knights and council members. Lady Andria was standing in a corner, waiting for her turn to report to her King. Merlin and Arthur quietly made their way to the two empty chairs on the right of the King. King Arthur acknowledged their arrival with a small nod, and continued to listen, now moving to hear Andria's report.<p>

Arthur gave a small shove to his right, hitting Merlin in the ribs, making him glare at the young king. "Arg! What was that for?" he hissed. Arthur smirked at him knowingly. _As if you don't know, Merlin…_

"…smugglers from the eastern border. We caught them without any hinders. Two members of the Guard arrested a sorcerer who was selling cursed pendants to young girls in the lower town. He is being questioned as we speak. The monthly inventory at the volts was postponed for next week, since neither Lord Merlin nor your Majesty was able to attend, obviously. Lastly, there was a small malfunction with the outer protection wards earlier today, probably due to Lord Merlin's magic being imbalanced. They were down for a few minutes. Had us running for a bit but everything is back to normal now…"

Next, it was Isolde's turn to report, but Arthur's mind was stuck to that last piece of information from Andria. He was beginning to experience a weird feeling, like something was moving up in his stomach, a warning sensation of a kind… He could not place it exactly. His mind was so distracted that he almost didn't hear when Isolde spoke next.

"…but I watched from afar. It was _so_ sweet. He saved her mother you know. Last winter, the poor woman almost died from whooping cough, he healed her, asking nothing in return of course. That's Merlin for you. And _every single citizen_ of Camelot loves him for that, for who he is…" the warrior lady continued.

Every single citizen…_every single_…

The old woman from the streets. The one who _despised the sight_ of Lord Merlin.

The old woman…

The wards had gone _down_.

_Magical_ wards.

Woman_. Witch_…

It couldn't be.

No.

Arthur jumped from his seat, a nagging feeling of urgency burning inside him. The others were startled, shooting looks of bewilderment and inquiry. He didn't waste time, launching to the doors, Merlin was behind him almost immediately, as if by reflex.

"_Morgana_ is here… She came for him!" was the only thing they heard before he hurried outside.

Running through the corridors, Merlin was struggling to reach Arthur, while he was speeding up towards Lord Merlin's chambers. He was vaguely aware of the commotion behind them; the others were obviously coming after them. In less than five minutes Arthur had climbed up the tower and had reached the Court Sorcerer's chambers.

Arthur burst inside the large work room and run to the half open bedroom door across the chambers. He opened it swiftly and his stomach clenched when he was confronted with the exact sight he dreaded he would be. It was the old woman, _Morgana_, standing over an unconscious and… _pale_ Lord Merlin, holding a bloodied knife.

He was too late. She had already stabbed him.

It took one second for Arthur to comprehend what he saw.

"NO!" he run, mind hazed with fury and just threw himself on her, as the blade went to embed in the warlock's body for the second time. The old woman fell to the floor from the impact, but swiftly recovered and flung Arthur to the wall.

_Just like before, only this time, she had succeeded,_ was Arthur's last thought before he drifted into unconsciousness.

And that was when Merlin entered the room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah… I'm evil**. **Bwahahahhahahahaha!**

**Please review?**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I decided to reward you all for being THE BEST readers and for giving me such lovely reviews! So here we are. Chapter 15. Lots of action in this one…**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15: The Reason for the Journey<strong>

Merlin glanced at the scene in front of him. The bloodied figure of Lord Merlin on the bed, the wide-eyed woman in the middle of the room who was struggling to catch her breath as the illusion of old age slipped away to reveal her true identity -Morgana- and finally the unmoving frame of his best friend's body lying on the floor.

He stood frozen for just a moment; hastily analyzing the situation in his mind, but that was enough for the witch to recover and attack. Morgana raised both her hands towards Merlin aggressively. Her eyes sparkled while she shouted, voice distorted in her madness, a spell to kill.

"_**Brond gefeormian!"**_

Merlin's instincts took over, raising a protective shield that managed to block the magical flames sent to engulf him. The shield absorbed the power of the spell, shining a bright blue light before becoming invisible once more. It couldn't have been more than a few seconds that the witch was out of his line of sight but apparently those were enough for her to move closer, already prepared to hit him with another blast, more powerful than the previous one.

Merlin's shield suspended her second and third attack, both surges of pure power, glowing red, purple and golden lights that scattered into thousand sparkles when met with the barrier. But it was no good, he was still in defense. If he wanted to win this battle, he had to stop her. To move to the _offence_.

Merlin was now praying for an opening, a sign of fatigue, a mistake, anything. But it was useless. She had her power, her hatred and her madness to feed from, and she was completely focused on _him_.

No, Merlin couldn't see another way out, but to trust his instinct, to let go of his apprehension and his struggle to control the power inside him and simply let it surround him. Let it guide his actions for once. His magic would know what to do. It always had.

The pure power and magic inside the warlock roared, fighting to be unleashed. Somewhere between seeing his older self laying on the bed stabbed, Arthur hurt and having to block Morgana's unrelenting attacks, Merlin's magic had flared, no longer a tinkling feeling under his skin but a painful need to explode, destroy, consume._ Protect._

Morgana continued viciously, her face contorted in an insane smile, her eyes glowing with the spark of victory. She kept chanting, firing one spell after another, no longer aiming just the young warlock. Her magic fought to destroy everything around her, walls, ceiling and furniture bursting into pieces.

He wasn't intimidated though. Perhaps she was too far gone to register that, but Merlin's composure had altered in the past moments.

He remembered the others that were there with him. He wasn't sure of their condition but he needed to protect them from further damage. In a blink of an eye, his magic was extended to shield both Arthur's and Lord Merlin's bodies. His magic was alive; he only had to think before it acted, no need for incantations whatsoever.

Knowing the others couldn't be harmed anymore, he turned to face Morgana.

She was holding a bright red fiery sphere in her joined hands. The sphere moved, as if it was made of liquid fire. It was growing and growing, morphing into some kind of… creature.

It was a serpent, made of flames and ashes. A dark kind of dragon. It had skeletal wings unfolding slowly from its sides and huge red eyes that were glaring down at him. Flames erupted from its clenched jaws. As it moved to consume him, Merlin closed his eyes and let his power free.

* * *

><p>His hearing was the first to return. He could hear sounds of magic being cast, loud explosions and the unmistakable crash of wood being shattered. Fire, he smelled smoke, he was chocking now, so there must have been a fire somewhere.<p>

Arthur groaned. He was trying to open his eyes, to see what was happening. A gnawing sense of dread, of being unable to prevent a destruction, of something vital, distressing, that he couldn't quite recall, burned him inside. There was another loud thud, followed by a ringing echo, as if someone had sounded the warning bells, or effectively destroyed them.

Where _was_ he? His head hurt.

He tried to remember. It was a blur. Perhaps a … woman. Yes. She had attacked him; she was holding something, a dagger. She had blood on her hands…

He remembered.

_Oh Gods. No. _

Panic threatened to consume Arthur, hadn't it been for the otherworldly hiss sounding at that exact moment, combined with the unmistakable stench of sulphur that finally made him open his eyes.

Just in time to see a _dragon_, made of fire and ash, attack his best friend and manservant, who was just standing there, motionless and with his eyes closed.

What happened next is something that Arthur couldn't possibly ever describe.

Merlin's eyes opened wide, revealing not the gold trait of magic but their natural blue color instead. At the same time everything just stopped for a moment. The dragon hung in the air, particles of dust and ashes were frozen around him, and so was Morgana and even Arthur felt unable to move. Not a sound could be heard.

And then, Merlin's eyes turned completely gold and the world erupted. There was light. A bright light that blinded Arthur, that seemed to burn his skin, brighter and brighter, and was soon followed by a loud vibrating buzz, like the sound of a thousand flying insects. He could feel the floor shaking, stones falling all around him. He raised his hands, trying to cover his head instinctively. The loud noise rang in his mind, leaving him unable to think.

And then, _silence_.

No more burning. No more light.

Slowly, Arthur dared to open his eyes. The room was nearly completely destroyed. Actually, that was an _understatement_. All of the furniture lay broken, in pieces, some were still on fire. A large part of the ceiling was missing, the clear sky visible through the hole. Stones and rabbles were scattered everywhere.

A low moan turned his attention to Merlin, who was lying on the floor, body half covered in ruins. He rushed at his side, praying he wasn't badly injured or trapped. He lifted some of the heavier debris and brushed some other aside in order to free his friend.

"Careful… That's it. Come on Merlin, you're nearly out." Merlin groaned loudly as he got out of the rubble. The warlock's legs quivered slightly so Arthur hurried to grab and steady him.

It was then that they realized someone was banging the chamber's door, trying to get in the room.

They could hear voices on the other side, worried and angry shouts that belonged to the rest of their friends who couldn't come in. A large part of the ceiling had fallen right in front of the door, stones along with a huge wooden beam, the made it impossible for it to open from outside. Suddenly the voices stopped, only to be replaced by a blast that caused the ruins to move, enough for the others to open the door and enter.

Andria was the first that got through, and in a show of complete disregard towards the two friends standing nearby, made her way to the -now wrecked- bed.

Lord Merlin lay there, not moving at all, covered in ashes, dust and his own clotting blood. She ran her hands over his shoulder, soaking them in blood. She trembled and closed her eyes, stopping the tears that were there from falling.

She touched the side of his neck, searching for a pulse.

Exhaling loudly, Andria lowered her head and whispered her gratitude to the Gods of the Old Religion.

She guided her hand towards the warlock's stab wound, and put pressure on it.

All the others had gathered around her, but no one dared to speak.

Andria shut her eyes and whispered, all her magic concentrating on the powerful healing spell.

"_**Þurhhælan"**_. Her eyes sparkled and she let her hand move, exposing the wound once more.

At first nothing happened.

Then, the edges of the injury slowly begun to close, the blood stopped flowing out of the gash, and Andria let out a relieved sigh and smiled for the first time.

"He will be alright."

At the opposite end of the room, the only thing left where Morgana was standing was a pool of blood, a piece of black, half burned cloth and a scorch mark on the floor.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_**Brond gefeormian:**_** fire consume , **_**Þurhhælan**_**: heal thoroughly **

**Please, review and let me know if you liked it! **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hi there and sorry for the late update! I have been busy lately with my exams and hadn't had the time to work on the fic. Also, last chapter I only got like two reviews -and I want to thank those two reviewers!- so I was a bit depressed for a couple of days. I'm better now. ;)**

**Anyway, here is chapter 16, hope you like it!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16: The Following Day<strong>

Merlin awoke to the sound of birds chirping combined with the unmistakable low buzz of the market in the lower town. He contemplated staying in bed for a while longer, but finally decided against it and slowly got to his feet, stretching his back and yawning uncontrollably. It was late morning, judging from the sun's position in the clear sky.

He had spent the night in a comfortable guest room, near Arthur's champers. He had been so utterly exhausted after facing Morgana that the others had all but carried him to the chamber. In a terrifying moment of realization, Merlin recalled that Arthur had actually _tucked him in bed_.

It hadn't been more than a few hours ago, when the King ordered both him and Arthur to get some much needed rest. Arthur protested wholeheartedly, claiming he wasn't even hurt because he hadn't gotten the chance to actually fight, although Gaius had to treat some nasty bruises on his back and shoulder from when Morgana blasted him on the wall. Merlin, on the other hand, was too weak to offer any real resistance. The battle with Morgana had used up all his energy in magic and a great deal of his vitality. Sleep was indeed _most welcome_.

Looking around, he found that someone had placed a breakfast tray on the table. A clean change of clothes was also left for him on a chair. He suspected that it was either Gwen's or Isolde's doing. _Or perhaps Andria's._

After picking a nice red apple from the plate, the young warlock mentally went through his plans for the day.

He wondered briefly if Arthur had awoken. Deciding he needed to see his older self first, he quickly got dressed and went out. He ran into a servant and asked him to go fetch Arthur to the court sorcerer's chambers, where he was now heading.

It took him no time to reach the now familiar doors. He raised a hand to knock but caught himself half way. It was his older self he was seeing, nothing to be worried about. Lord Merlin could very well be yet asleep.

He barged in and was immediately confronted with a most unexpected sight. Right there, in the middle of the work room was Lord Merlin_, with_ Lady Andria, and apparently they were in the middle of a rather…personal moment.

_Kissing! They are kissing!_

Lady Andria immediately moved away from the older man's arms, which -in hindsight- was not the wisest decision because of Lord Merlin's still weakened state. The man nearly lost his balance and was prevented from falling by Merlin's fast reflexes. That is fast_ magical_ reflexes, of course. He helped his older self to sit on a nearby armchair.

Lady Andria didn't move, she only stood there out of breath, blushing, her eyes fixed to the floor.

After a minute of awkward silence, Andria cleared her throat, mumbled a weak 'excuse me, my Lords', and fled the scene without raising her head to meet either of their eyes.

Merlin shuffled, still a bit embarrassed to have walked in on _himself_, and definitely not knowing what he should say, until Lord Merlin addressed him, in an effort to snap the young warlock out of his shock induced stupor.

"This is ridiculous! I mean it's ME… You're me, there is no reason for… _this_," he gestured towards Merlin. "You act like that time when I accidentally walked in on Arthur and Gwen _role-playing…"_

"NO! No, please I don't need to hear it!" The horror on Merlin's face was enough for the older man to feel sorry for him and spare any more details.

"Sorry… Sorry…" he paused, eying the young man once more. "It is a _very_ amusing story though…"

He swallowed his remaining words in a laugh, after seeing Merlin was about to faint from embarrassment. He held up a hand in mock surrender.

Merlin accepted the peace offering and relaxed a bit.

"I just came to see how you're doing. If you needed my help..."

"I'm recovering nicely, thank you." The lord answered shortly, eyes regarding Merlin unblinking, to show he expected him to continue.

The young warlock frowned, puzzled. He couldn't think very clearly at the moment, still a bit dazzled from the new found information that he had apparently found _love_ in the -not very distant- future, to think straight. The older man sighed and gestured Merlin to sit down and join him.

"I thought you would like to begin searching for a way to return _home_." Lord Merlin explained patiently, making Merlin feel a bit like the idiot Arthur kept telling him he was.

"Right! Sorry. I was… surprised that's all."

He smiled sheepishly to his older self.

"It's only understandable. Andria and I… it's complicated, to say the least. I am her mentor and teacher. At least I was at the beginning… Now, our relationship seems to have progressed, one small step at a time."

Merlin nodded, not knowing what to say. He couldn't help feeling like a child caught red-handed snooping around, which was utterly insane; _it was him that had done all the catching_! The older man smiled at him broadly, like he could read what Merlin was thinking on his face.

"Well," Merlin said, deciding to change the discussion to a more comfortable topic, "do you have any idea how to send us back then? I mean, I know touching a magical hole in the ground isn't much to begin with, but perhaps you've read something somewhere…."

Lord Merlin closed his eyes, contemplating. When he spoke he sounded very calm.

"I know what to do, yes."

"That's good! More than good, that's _great_!"

"Yes, great." The older man still had his eyes shut.

Merlin frowned. The other man was keeping something from him. "What is it? There is something you're not telling me. Do you know who it was? Who brought us here in the first place? Is that it?"

The Lord opened his eyes to look at him, his gaze piercing. "Not who, Merlin. What."

"What?"

"What."

"Excuse me, I'm confused. What do you mean? It wasn't a sorcerer that caused this, it was a thing? That beast at the forest maybe…"

"No, Merlin. Let me explain properly. You all came here because _you," _he pointed at him, "were _needed._ It wasn't a person that brought you here, but fate. Destiny, if you like. And the Old Religion. As always, it plays a great part in your -our- life."

The young warlock just stared at him. Lord Merlin took it as a sign to continue with his explanation.

"If Morgana had succeeded in her plans, the whole of Albion would have been destroyed. Either by war or magic, she would have caused thousands to die; magic would have roamed freely, unbalanced and without control, devastating everything that it touched. _This_ time, if it wasn't for you, she would have prevailed. Do you know why? Because this time, she ultimately targeted _me_, and not Arthur. The King could not defeat her without my magic on his side. That is why you were destined to travel here, to save me and indirectly, to save all of Albion as well. Do you understand?"

The young warlock looked perplexed while processing the new information. Finally he spoke.

"I think I do." He hesitated for a moment. "There _are_ some things I cannot figure out, though…"

The Lord suggested he continued.

"Mainly it is one thing. _How_ do you know this? Is it a prophecy? Has Kilgharrah said it would happen? And also, do you know what happened to Morgana? I know she isn't dead, I could feel her, the agony she was experiencing due to my powers, but I could sense I hadn't caused her demise."

Lord Merlin nodded. "No, you didn't. Morgana was overpowered; her powers were crippled by the pure magic that you emitted, she was scarred, for life, but not killed. I'm afraid that, though we may not see her for some time, _see her again we most certainly will_."

Merlin let out a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. He hadn't killed her this time either. He didn't know whether to feel happy or disappointed about it.

But Lord Merlin wasn't done yet. "As for how I know the reason for your journey, it is because somebody told me."

"Who? If not the dragon, was it the Druids?"

"It was_ me_, Merlin. I 'm telling you this now, and you will tell it to your younger self in nine years."

Merlin's eyes went wide, unblinking, his mouth fell half open and his brows were successfully imitating Gaius's.

"But I thought, I… The King said… He said he didn't remember! _They_ didn't remember, any of them! Why would they lie…?"

"They weren't lying. _They _do not remember. _I_, on the other hand, do."

Merlin was getting more confused every minute.

"If you do remember, then… why on _earth_ did you get caught in the first place? Are you insane? _Am I_ insane?"

"Hah… No, you're not. Look, I wasn't being _completely_ honest before when I told you that it was destiny that brought you here. I mean it was, but it was working through somebody. Through me. I called for you to come."

"WHAT?" Merlin stood abruptly, taking a menacing step towards the other man.

"Please calm yourself. There is no need for shouting, _Mer_lin." Said the older man, but Merlin's mind didn't register any of that, he had gone already into overdrive.

"You _ARE _insane! You _knew _she would capture you, _torture you,_ and instead of stopping her, you decided to, what, _invent_ time travel and have us drop by FOR A _VISIT_!"

"I HAD NO CHOICE!" Lord Merlin shouted, finally losing his temper. "I couldn't STOP her from capturing me! Not without risking her killing… not without…"he deflated, shrinking into the chair, suddenly looking more pale and fragile than before.

Merlin froze where he stood. He had a bad feeling about this. "Risk her killing who exactly..?"

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that the only way for us all to survive was to bring you here. You were destined to save me, that's all you need to know," he said, and Merlin could hear the finality in his words, he wasn't going to learn anything more on the subject.

He nodded in acceptance. Now that his initial anger had subsided, he could see the logic in Lord Merlin's words. Sometimes the Old Religion worked in ways that he did not fully comprehend. He supposed he would understand better in the following years.

A loud knock on the door startled the young warlock out of his musings. Lord Merlin called for the person outside to enter. It was Arthur of course, Merlin _had_ sent for him after all.

"Well," Arthur said, "You asked me to meet you here. Do the two of you have something to tell me?"

Merlin looked at his older self and then back at Arthur, who was regarding him expectedly.

"As a matter of fact, yes, we have." he replied with a hint of mirth in his voice.

Arthur waited for a moment. "Er, alright…?"

"We, that is, Lord Merlin here, knows how to get us back."

Arthur straightened his back at the sound of that last sentence. "Does that mean..?"

Merlin smiled at him.

"Yes Arthur. We are going home."

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, I decided that Merlin will eventually find love, the poor man. I mean he is just a sweetheart, such a nice person and he was so unlucky so far! I reward you Merlin with Lady Andria! ;) <strong>

**Only a couple of chapters left. The last one is actually my favorite… So bear with me!**

**Please review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: To reach one's destination**

It was a busy as ever morning in the market of Camelot's lower town. Merchants were trying to sell various goods, farmers were sorting their harvest of grains and vegetables, the butcher's wife was yelling at a serving boy from the palace's kitchens while holding something that looked awfully like a goat's leg in her hand and in the corner between the main market street and the tavern, a traveling group of hedgewitches were performing a series of tricks in front of a small audience of giggling children.

Two men strolled down the road, absorbed in a light conversation. As they passed by, they ignored the curious looks and whispers that followed them. The older man, who happened to be the Court Sorcerer of Camelot was chatting happily and kept gesturing at the various stalls and products around the market. His light hearted antics were a familiar sight for the common people, one that made them feel safe and amused at the same time. The other man though was the main reason the pair drew so much attention in the first place, for he was their beloved King, Arthur Pendragon himself, although not as they knew him to be now. He was, as some of the people recall still, the newly crowned king, a younger version of their sovereign, less experienced and much stiffer than his current -older- self.

Whatever the cause of this peculiar spectacle was, one thought ultimately stuck inside every Camelotian's mind: that those two were inseparable, no matter age -_or time-_ difference...

The young Arthur seemed relaxed enough to let the older man lead their way and their conversation, nodding absentmindedly from time to time whilst exploring his surroundings. Thus they went on for quite a while.

"…though it will eventually have the color of the sky. Or diamonds… Lucy! How are you my dear? That is a beautiful scarf…" Lord Merlin continued his blabber. "Arthur? Are you paying attention?"

"Hmm? Yes! No, actually… I think I've learned enough about transformation potions for today." _Or for the rest of my life._

Arthur new it was a mistake to let Lord Merlin '_escort him for a stroll around Camelot'_, he could swear he had seen a vicious glee in the older man's eyes, something that he -correctly- translated as a promise of torture via relentless jabber, but Merlin had been so irritated with his impatience that if he hadn't left the younger warlock alone to concentrate on his work he would probably be a toad or something akin to that by now.

The Court Sorcerer didn't look shaken by Arthur's disregard; instead he regarded the man beside him coolly, a light smirk appearing on his features.

"Yes, I suppose it _is_ understandable… Perhaps you'd like to hear a few things about scrying? Or proper spell articulation? It is an art few have mastered better than yours truly, if I dare say…"

"No. No, there is no need!" Arthur hurried to stop the warlock. For a moment there he actually heard the man muffling a laugh.

_Typical._

"Well then," Lord Merlin said, "I suppose that Merlin and Gaius must have finished the last of the preparations for the spell by now, so we can probably head back to the palace. What do you think, Sire?"

Arthur realized that for all he had done to save the man's life –and he would do it again if need be-, Lord Merlin's disrespectful attitude was undeniably irritating. Just like his good old self.

_What. A. Prat_.

Still, his answer was exceedingly calm. Arthur never forgot his manners. _One must show respect to one's elders. _

"By all means. Can't leave the idiot alone for too long! Who knows _what_ he'll do…"

Lord Merlin didn't deign that with an answer, instead he turned abruptly, rolling his eyes and starting for the castle. It took a few moments for Arthur to remember that he had indirectly insulted the man himself. Grimacing slightly at the thought of upsetting the still recovering sorcerer, however annoying he might be, he followed swiftly behind him, keeping an eye on him and careful not to make a sound to upset him any further.

* * *

><p>They didn't make it inside; instead they found the young knights, Sirs Leon, Percival, Gwaine and Elyan waiting for them in the palace's courtyard.<p>

"Everything is ready for our departure. Merlin and Gaius are already at the place. They said we were to join them as soon as we found you two," said Leon.

"What about the King and Queen or the rest of the knights? Aren't they joining us as well?" Arthur wondered. He actually hadn't gotten to see much of Guinevere, and it was the one thing that he would truly miss when he went back. That is he _would_ miss her if he was ever to remember even seeing her in the first place.

Surprising everyone, it was Lord Merlin that answered.

"I'm afraid the King and Queen, as well as all the others, are currently… _unavailable_. A party of nobles has arrived from the west and their presence is commanded there. But they told me to wish you well on their behalf. It's not like you'll remember them not saying goodbye or anything. Come, we shouldn't keep Gaius and Merlin waiting."

With that he began trailing to the nearest exit, not giving time for anyone to question him any further.

They went outside the courtyard, through a rather deserted path that ended up at the other side of Camelot's outer walls. Up ahead they could see the two sorcerers, Merlin and Gaius, standing near the edge of the forest. When they were closer, they saw that Merlin was holding a handful of small vials and a leather bag filled with –was that hay? Gaius on the other hand had just finished pouring some sort of red colored sand to the ground. The sand formed a straight line, about fifteen feet long.

"Ah. Here you are finally," said Gaius. He dusted his hands on his robe and approached them.

"Well, I must bid you all farewell now. We are grateful for your help, and I want to thank you _especially_ for saving my Merlin." He shook Arthur's hand, nodded happily at the rest of the knights and gave an awkward fatherly hug to the young Merlin, before he set off back to Camelot.

Lord Merlin had stood a few feet behind them and had watched the scene unfolding before him with a fond look in his eyes. Gaius could be very sentimental if he wanted to.

"Gaius should be more used to my close calls by now." He joked, but Arthur caught the protective tone of his voice.

Merlin decided at that moment that they should probably be getting on with the spell, and handed the items he was carrying to the Court Sorcerer, taking extra care not to drop the vials. Some of these potions took ages to brew; it would be just his luck to break them and have to start all over again.

He gestured at Arthur and the knights, bidding them to go and stand in front of the line Gaius had drawn on the ground. He heard the older sorcerer calling him and followed to stand beside him a few feet back. The knights and King looked a little perplexed by that.

"Aren't you joining us, Merlin?" Arthur called. He looked a little unnerved. Merlin couldn't decide if it was because he was afraid of the powerful spell that would soon be cast to take them home or because he didn't want to leave this Camelot in the first place. The young warlock couldn't argue with that. The return home would mean the return of oblivious, ungrateful, recently-cheated-on and generally unhappy Arthur. Merlin wasn't looking forward to that either.

"I'll be going through last. To make sure everything goes smoothly," he replied.

Lord Merlin took the hay out of the bag and sprayed it in front of them. Then he opened two of the vials and poured their content on top of it, while chanting the complex incantation.

Merlin could feel it forming. The strange pull that grew and grew, that formed a gap in the weave of magic, so much like that hole in the ground that had led them here. A new tunnel through time meant to send them back home.

In front of their eyes, the red powder on the ground started to glow dimly, slowly changing color from red to orange, then yellow and then, suddenly, it was on fire. The fire burned away quickly, going out with a loud crack, leaving nothing behind. But the air above the former line on the ground was now visibly vibrating, like it wasn't exactly air, but something else, something more substantial, like trembling water, or very thick fog.

They were all staring in awe when Lord Merlin's voice rang once more.

"This is where we part our ways. I owe my life to all of you. To simply say _thank you_ would be an extreme understatement. So, I'll just say this instead. Goodbye, my brothers. Until we meet again."

They stared at him, Arthur and the knights from in front of the gateway, Merlin from his side. One by one they all nodded, no one making a sound, as if they didn't trust their voices not to break. Arthur raised his hand towards Lord Merlin in goodbye, an air of finality in his gesture.

Arthur knew what he had to do. He could call it instinct, though he suspected the word _destiny_ would probably fit better. He turned around and then, without over thinking, it he took a step towards the invisible portal. His knights understood and followed his example. Together the party took off in a blinding flash of light.

Merlin turned to face his older self. He knew he most likely hadn't much time until the portal closed once more, but he needed to ask Lord Merlin a question, something he hadn't build up the courage to do so these past few days. Now, in a sudden burst of bravery he decided to do it. Before he could even begin though he was interrupted by his older self.

"I know what you're thinking. What you want to ask me. You want to know _when_ it's going to happen, how he will react. You want to know for how long you'll have to keep up the lies," he said, and looked the younger man in the eye with an expression full of pity.

Suddenly, Merlin deflated. He felt small and weary.

He must have looked even worse than he felt because when Lord Merlin spoke again it was as if he was addressing a scared child.

"You've always known it would be hard, Merlin… And yet, you chose this. Look, I can't promise you that it won't hurt. I will not lie to you. There _are_ difficult times ahead of you."

Merlin closed his eyes at that. A lump had formed in his throat and he couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. It took him a moment to regain his composure. "I… I suspected as much," he took a steadying breath. "I was hoping I was wrong though… After all that happened here, his reaction to my secret, I thought that perhaps…"

"You thought it was time for him to know for real." The older man agreed, understanding the pain that went through Merlin's heart. _He ought to know, he had felt it himself._

"Merlin…" he looked in the younger man's eyes. "I told you I can't promise you it will be easy. What I _can_ promise you though is that all of it, all the pain and the desperation you're experiencing, it will be _worth_ it."

He smiled gently at Merlin. "Go now. And don't give up hope. Ever. Do you hear me?"

Merlin lowered his gaze to the ground. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head in determination and started walking forwards to the gate. He was just about to go through it -he could feel the magic around him pulsing, air vibrating with energy- when he heard it.

A light laughter, a child's laugh.

Little footsteps, someone was running, coming closer to somewhere behind him.

"Uncle!"

He turned.

He saw a small boy, not older than seven or eight years old, running towards Lord Merlin and then practically jumping on him. He had light brown curly hair and white skin and was wearing a red tunic with the Pendragon sigil on it. From where Merlin stood, he couldn't see the boy's eyes clearly, but he suspected they were blue.

The older warlock burst out laughing, then proceeded to hug the child really, really tight.

"Uncle Merlin, you'll suffocate me!" said the boy, fake-struggling to get out of the man's grasp.

"Always exaggerating, just like a true royal. I missed you my boy! How was your trip? You must tell me everything!" said 'Uncle' Merlin, not letting go of his _nephew_ even for a second.

Behind the pair, King Arthur and Queen Guinevere were slowly approaching the scene. The King's gaze left his son and settled on Merlin, near the edge of the portal.

He raised his hand to say goodbye, like Arthur had done minutes ago.

The only answer Merlin could think of giving him was a bright smile.

He blindly took a step back, not letting the reunited family out of his sight. And then he felt the magic engulf him. The last thing he saw was the boy, the little prince, looking right at him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There! Now I have only one last chapter left, and a rather… unusual chapter it will be, if I may say so. I should also note that I've been thinking about writing a kind off companion piece to this story. A fic about how Merlin met Andria and she became his apprentice… Please tell me if you think I should go for it ;)**

**Remember to review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thank you for your reviews! Just to be clear this chapter features ****only**** future Arthur and future Merlin ( and a very brief Gwen p.o.v.)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18: What happened after<strong>

King Arthur and Queen Guinevere watched as the young warlock vanished into the air, his body surrounded by a soft light. However, their son had managed to see young Merlin's departure as well. The young boy was already frowning and, judging from painful past experience, the little prince was about to throw a good old Pendragon-trademarked tantrum for not being told what was going on.

"Who was that man over there, Uncle? He looked just like you," said the boy petulantly, still clinging onto Merlin.

Gwen, being the good wife and mother that she was, decided to intervene before either her husband or his best friend made the grave mistake to actually try and lie to the increasingly annoyed boy. Prince Aidan Pendragon might not be eight years old yet, but by all means he was _no_ fool and did definitely _not _like being left in ignorance.

"Come, Aidan, let go of your poor uncle Merlin. Don't you see? You are tiring him…" she scolded her son lightly. "Now, what do you say we go visit Lady Isolde, eh? I'm sure she'd love to see you again and I bet you have many stories to tell her, young man! I think I recall something about a certain daughter of certain Lord who was allegedly occupying most of your time being mentioned in almost every letter that your uncle Elyan had sent us. Perhaps you would like to talk about that … special young lady?"

The Queen of Camelot smiled in satisfaction after seeing that her last proclamation had caused the young Pendragon to blush fiercely and drop the matter of the mysteriously vanishing uncle Merlin impostor almost immediately.

Her little boy might be steadily growing into a spirited, intelligent young man, but as his mother, she would always know how to lead her son into biding her will, much to her husband's dismay. (_He is the future king of Camelot, Guinevere; you shouldn't be able to manipulate him to your every whim! He has to learn how to be a strong monarch! You and Merlin both, I swear…)_

Hah… _Men_.

"Come love," she repeated, seeing that Aidan, though a lot shyer than usual, hadn't yet left his uncle's embrace.

His mother's second encouragement was enough for the boy to finally move. He untangled himself from Merlin and ran to follow Gwen into the castle, but not before he kissed his uncle's cheek and wished him a nice day.

* * *

><p>Arthur waited until his wife and son were far enough and then turned to glare at the warlock. Merlin wasn't at all intimidated, and simply grinned in response.<p>

"You and Gwen both, _Mer_lin... You're turning the future Ruler of the land into a softy!"

Merlin snorted indignantly. _There we go again._

"Just because _you_ are an emotionally incapacitated human being, that doesn't mean your son must be one as well," he replied, raising his eyebrows in a clear challenging motion to the king.

And, of course, Arthur couldn't possibly leave it at that.

"Just because I am not a _girl, _like some others," he pointed at Merlin, "doesn't mean I'm '_emotionally incapacitated'_. And really, Merlin, since when did you start using such big words? I'm pleasantly surprised, I must say…"

Merlin chuckled. "Oh. You were, are and always will be a prat, Arthur."

"That's Sire to you, _Mer_lin."

"Right. _Sire_…"

Unable to keep his countenance somber for any longer, Merlin burst out a loud laughter.

Arthur couldn't help but join in the warlock's mirth. He had his best friend back -alive and expecting a full recovery- and his son had returned from his first official visit to the western borders with Elyan. All were as they should be, and the King of Camelot enjoyed the bliss that was his family once again.

Of course, whenever he thought of his family -that is the one that _he_ had created through bonds of marriage, of strong friendship and loyalty- his mind couldn't help but follow a darker trail, one which led him to Morgana. His sister by blood that he could not count as familyany more.

Whatever she had done, whatever she had become, she would always be in his thoughts, haunting him.

Arthur gazed at the forest in front of him. Beside him, he could hear Merlin shifting slightly, as in getting ready to head back to the palace.

"She isn't dead, is she?" Arthur hurried to ask, his eyes not moving from the peaceful scenery.

Merlin froze on the spot, but didn't respond immediately. Instead, he reached and sat on the grass and joined the king in his admiring of Camelot's very idyllic landscape. The atmosphere around the pair had turned from jovial to solemn, only with a few words.

Morgana always had that effect on them.

After some time, Arthur mimicked his friend's actions and sat on the ground as well. It was then that Merlin started speaking, sounding like he wasn't addressing his king but rather talking to himself, in a tone that was tired and uncharacteristically bitter.

"No, she isn't. I'm starting to doubt she could ever _be_ killed… She is weak though. I could sense that, still can. That room in the tower still holds some small fractions of her magic. It is as if it was… shattered into pieces and now she is left broken. Incomplete.

But, alas, I don't believe even for a second that this is over. No, not _Morgana_. She will return, eventually. She always does."

Arthur simply nodded at his friends conclusions. He was expecting as much. It didn't make him feel any better though.

Deciding there was nothing more to be done about it at the moment, the King let his thoughts lead him to a different path. Something that was bothering him for quite a while.

"It was you, wasn't it? The one that brought them here…"

"Yes it was," Merlin answered simply.

"And what about that… beast they said were hunting? You sent it …"

"Indeed I did. A simple illusion."

Arthur shot him a stern look. "And of course _you_ erased their memory… Isn't that right, _Me_rlin?"

"I _am_ the greatest sorcerer ever to live, Arthur…" he said somewhat smugly, "Though to be fair, I guess you could say that it was the nature of the enchantment. Only my younger self remained unaffected."

"_Greatest sorcerer ever_… And you say _my_ head is big!" Arthur commented dryly. Nowadays he found teasing his friend about being as inept a sorcerer as he ever was a servant tremendously satisfying. That was why he almost didn't register the warlock's last statement.

Almost.

"Wait, wait, wait… you _remember_? All this time you _knew everything?_" Arthur was suddenly overcome by an increasing sense of apprehension.

"What were you _THINKING_? Letting yourself get _captured_… everything you… everything _WE ALL_ went through..! Of all the inconsiderate, idiotic…"

Arthur stopped abruptly, still in flaming fury, and turned to speak face to face with his friend. When he saw the other man though, his anger deflated to some extent.

"Damn it, Merlin! I thought we had gotten past the whole lying to me issue years ago…"

Merlin's stoic expression showed that he wasn't fazed by his friend's outburst. It was only logical, what he had come to expect from the occasionally hot-tempered King.

Keeping his composure calm, he answered.

"You can be mad at me all you want, Arthur, but in the end, I didn't have much choice over the matter. It was _destiny_ that brought them here… It was something that needed to happen in order for me to survive and also to become who I am now. To put it bluntly, I _had_ to experience this."

He sighed, before he continued.

"I think I hadn't realized until now just how _important_ it was for me at that time to finally be sure that one day everything would work out. That one day you would know what I've done for you and accept me for who I am…" his expression darkened. "There's something else. Something I haven't told anyone. Not even my younger self. That night, the night I got captured, though I knew what was going to happen, Morgana still managed to surprise me. She threatened my mother's life, Arthur. She said she would strike down Ealdor if I offered any resistance. Thankfully I had already sent for our past selves before I drank her wine…"

Arthur shook his head, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. "This destiny of yours tends to come with a great price…"

Merlin nodded solemnly.

"Yeah, I suppose… It is your destiny too, though. That is why, however big a price, if I can, I will pay it gladly," he reminded his friend.

He knew for a fact that Arthur didn't like to be reminded of their joined destiny. Being the man of action that he was, Arthur resented that any accomplishment of his reign was apparently prophesized as a part of a greater plan the fates had set in motion in order to unite the land and bring back the old ways.

Arthur always strove to be his own man.

As the silence grew comfortable between them once more, a sudden thought made Merlin snigger.

"What?" asked the King, eager to laugh again.

"Nothing…" Merlin said, shaking his head. He had a fond glint in his eyes, and after a moment's thought he turned to Arthur, deciding to share his thoughts with the man.

"It's just that younger you reminded me of _old times_. You know, being your servant and stuff like that…" he smiled, gaze lost in reminiscence.

"Yeah, young Merlin as well…" Arthur replied, but his tone was strangely reserved.

It didn't pass Merlin's notice.

"What is it, Arthur?"

The King let out a sigh and regarded his friend with sad eyes. When he spoke again his voice was full of pent up remorse.

"It's nothing really. It's just… I had _forgotten_, you know? How difficult it was for you back then. What you had to go through. You looked so thin, so tired. And afraid, Merlin. I had forgotten that you used to be so afraid of me."

The warlock gazed at his friend. Merlin was no fool, regardless what Arthur might say. He knew that all those years of lies and deceit, though perhaps forgiven, had left an unmistakable toll on their friendship. It had taken a lot of time and effort from the both of them to repair what had been shattered, to rebuild their friendship, and even _more_ to reach the current level of trust and devotion they had to one another.

But now.

Now they were like _brothers_.

"Afraid? Come on, Arthur, why would I ever be afraid _of you_? You might be able to take me apart with one blow, but _I can_ take you apart with less than that…

…Remember?"

Oh yes, Arthur remembered.

**The end**

* * *

><p><strong>That's it! I cannot believe it is over. I feel a bit depressed, come think of it... Thank you all for your support throughout the story! I hope you found this chapter satisfying, I certainly loved writing it. The companion fic will be up in a few weeks.<strong>

**Until then… ;)**

****Author's note: The companion fic is finally up! It is called "A Tale of Legendary Warlocks" and it is set in early future post reveal Camelot!****


End file.
